Nigeria has begun its second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine programme, with National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) still on strike over unresolved issues. In view of this, the National Assembly has appealed to striking doctors to resume their duties, as the vaccination programme would need all hands on deck.
The more than 4 million Moderna vaccine doses donated by the United States have been released for the second vaccination programme alongside the 177,600 Johnson and Johnson vaccine doses received through the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).
Highlighting the roles of the striking doctors, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said that the country was besieged by a “human resource” challenge.
He called on the doctors to pick up their tools, as their demands have “already been provided” and undergoing processing.
Oloriegbe said, “As we speak today, we have some sections of health workers who are not working. For ethical delivery of vaccines, we need health workers.
“Human resource is a huge challenge in our country. I want to call on our colleagues, who are on strike, to please avail themselves of all opportunities of negotiations that government has given.
“The resources they’re asking for have already been provided and are being processed, so I want to ask the resident doctors to please go back to work.
“I want to assure all Nigerians that the National Assembly is working collaboratively with the executive arm and other stakeholders to resolve these human resource challenges in Nigeria.
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“It is a huge issue because if you have the money, if you have the materials, we need men to get healthcare delivered, and we assure Nigerians that we shall handle this.”
NMA To Join NARD Strike
Doctors under the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have locked horns with the Federal Government over issues revolving around unpaid salaries, arrears, among other issues
The striking doctors said that they cannot resume work unpaid and that until the government made good on its promises tabled before them at previous meetings, its members would continue on the strike action.
At first silent on the matter, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said that if the situation lingered any further, it would be forced to join in the strike action.
It said, in a statement last Friday, “It is most unfortunate that budget allocation for newspapers for assembly members, state governors, presidency are approved and implemented within days of signing by Mr President, and yet the residency training allocation budgeted and endorsed cannot be implemented.
“The country in face of high cost of governance has decided to use the health of her subject to play chess game where king and queens display power of crown by killing their guards.
“I call on well-meaning Nigerians across the country to quickly put a stop to the strike by mandating those concerned including the state governors for state hospitals to pay the resident doctors all their due wages or stand the chance of black cloud collapse from NMA if the battle lingers.”
