Panic as federal government sacks striking doctors

– The federal government has sacked striking resident doctors in federal hospitals

– The directive was contained in a circular signed by the permanent secretary of the ministry of health

–  The doctors had on Monday, June 13, embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-payment of salaries

The federal government has sacked resident doctors in government hospitals a day after they embarked on a nationwide strike.

The minister of health, Isaac Adewole, directed chief medical directors (CMDs) and medical directors (MDs) of federal government tertiary health institutions to fill the vacancies created by resident doctors, The Cable reports.

A spokesperson of the ministry, Boade Akinola, disclosed that the directive was contained in a circular signed by Amina Shamaki, permanent secretary of the ministry.

Read the circular below:

“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come to the notice of the management of the ministry that some resident doctors in your establishment have voluntarily withdrawn from the residency training program by refusing to report for training without authorisation.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.

READ ALSO: Tension: Doctors commence indefinite strike today, Monday

“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“In view of this development, you are hereby directed to replace all the doctors that have withdrawn their services, with others from the pool of applicants for the training programs in the various disciplines in order not to create ominous gap in training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.”

READ ALSO: President Buhari urges doctors not to embark on strike

The National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, had on Monday, June 20, embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-payment of 10 months salaries of some of its members.

Dr Mohammed Askira, the president in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, said that the association had tried its possible best to ensure that the Nigerian populace did not suffer another disruption of medical services “but the strike had become inevitable because government failed to respond to members’ demands.”

The demands of the association range from remuneration, injustice, enrolment of members into IPPIS, the lack of funding for residency training, victimisation of members by managements of hospitals, among others.

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