Resident Doctors suspend strike as FG orders their replacement
Wed Jun 22, 2016 07:43:am Health
2.8K By Buchi Obichie
At a health sector stakeholders meeting on Tuesday, the leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, agreed to suspend its strike.
The Association's leadership also appealed to members to suspend the strike until the next meeting scheduled for July 14.
This decision comes as Nigeria's Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, directed all heads of Federal Government medical institutions, to fill all vacancies created by resident doctors who have "abandoned" their training programme.
Apparently disturbed by Adewole's directive, the striking doctors relented.
The decision to suspend the strike emanated from the meeting between resident doctors and other stakeholders, organised by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogàra in Abuja.
The meeting will reconvene in three weeks to review progress made in the implementation of agreements reached in the meeting slated for July.
The circular ordering the replacement of the striking doctors, was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Amina Shamaki.
It read: "It has come to the notice of the management of the ministry that some resident doctors in your establishment have voluntarily withdrawn from the residency training program by refusing to report for training without authorisation. public service rule, PSR 030402 (e) is relevant.
"This is in spite of the ongoing negotiations on their demands put forward by the representatives of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association.
"In view of this development, you are hereby directed to replace all the doctors that have withdrawn their services, with others from the pool of applicants for the training programs in the various disciplines in order not to create ominous gap in training with attendant disruption of health care delivery in your facility.
"Meanwhile, the ministry is working with the panel on the review of the residency training programme in Nigeria, led by Professor Wole Atoyebi, the registrar of the National Postgraduate Medical College, to fast-track the development of a comprehensive blueprint for postgraduate training of doctors in the country.
"Please, ensure immediate compliance."
The Association's leadership also appealed to members to suspend the strike until the next meeting scheduled for July 14.
This decision comes as Nigeria's Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, directed all heads of Federal Government medical institutions, to fill all vacancies created by resident doctors who have "abandoned" their training programme.
Apparently disturbed by Adewole's directive, the striking doctors relented.
The decision to suspend the strike emanated from the meeting between resident doctors and other stakeholders, organised by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogàra in Abuja.
The meeting will reconvene in three weeks to review progress made in the implementation of agreements reached in the meeting slated for July.
The circular ordering the replacement of the striking doctors, was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Amina Shamaki.
It read: "It has come to the notice of the management of the ministry that some resident doctors in your establishment have voluntarily withdrawn from the residency training program by refusing to report for training without authorisation. public service rule, PSR 030402 (e) is relevant.
"This is in spite of the ongoing negotiations on their demands put forward by the representatives of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association.
"In view of this development, you are hereby directed to replace all the doctors that have withdrawn their services, with others from the pool of applicants for the training programs in the various disciplines in order not to create ominous gap in training with attendant disruption of health care delivery in your facility.
"Meanwhile, the ministry is working with the panel on the review of the residency training programme in Nigeria, led by Professor Wole Atoyebi, the registrar of the National Postgraduate Medical College, to fast-track the development of a comprehensive blueprint for postgraduate training of doctors in the country.
"Please, ensure immediate compliance."
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