– says healthcare has worsened under Buhari
The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) blamed President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government for the ongoing industrial action by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The association which said Nigeria’s health care system has deteriorated over the last six years due to neglect asked President Buhari to take over negotiation with NARD to end the current impasse.
The NAS Capoon, Mr. Abiola Owoaje in a press statement titled: “Resident Doctor’s cyclic strikes” bemoaned the continued failure of the federal government to fulfill agreements signed with the union.
“It is bewildering that, despite being aware that resident doctors constitute a critical element of healthcare delivery in the country, the federal government could not prevent this industrial action by fulfilling an agreement it voluntarily signed. It is irresponsible and dishonorable to habitually break promises made to employees. More baffling is that the government would allow this shut-down by resident doctors in the midst of a third wave of the Covid-19 epidemic and an outbreak of Cholera which, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has as of August 17, 2021, claimed 1,178 lives in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Nigerians are dying needlessly as the effects of the strike bites harder,” he said.
Owoaje who berated the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige for his confrontational attitude and threats pointed out that the recent viral video of Nigerian doctors queuing for a recruitment exercise by Saudi Arabia captures the tragedy that has befallen Nigeria
“To reverse this trend and urgently too, President Muhammadu Buhari should take immediate charge of negotiations with NARD and ensure the implementation of agreements reached. Dr. Ngige should change his attitude of confrontational grandstanding, at the expense of the lives of vulnerable Nigerians and withdraw the case instituted by the Ministry of Labour at the Industrial Court, in order to create a conducive atmosphere for negotiation and resolution.
“The Resident Doctors are not making extraordinary demands. The monies being owed are a pittance, compared to the huge public funds committed to wasteful ventures by the government. President Buhari should seize the opportunity of the 18 months left of his tenure to leave an enduring legacy in the health sector. He should ensure that the health sector is allocated the required 15% of the total national budget, as contained in the Abuja Charter agreed to by African Union members in 2001. This would go a long way to address some of the fundamental problems bedeviling the health sector. It is not too late for the President to act.”
