The National
Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Monday, vowed to shut down the health
sector with effect from January 2, 2017, should the Federal Government fail to
implement all the outstanding agreements with the union, according to
Dailypost.
It described the
planned industrial action as painful but the last option, having exhausted all
windows of dialogue.
President of NARD, Dr.
Onyebuchi John Ugochukwu, who addressed a press briefing in Enugu equally
directed members to start putting on “black ward gown” as a sign of death of
health facilities in the country.
Ugochukwu, who was
flanked by the association’s national treasurer and public relations officer,
Dr. Ugwuoke Aloy Ifedinso and Dr. Asinobi Ugoeze chided the Federal Ministry of
health for allowing the sector to deteriorate into a very sorry and unmanageable
state.
He, therefore,
declared that: “all agreements of the July 14th 2016 mediation meeting
with the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu
Dogara must be implemented immediately.
“The Ministry of
health should be responsible enough to honour such high level agreement reached
by all the parties.
“If they fail to do
so, we are directing all our members to proceed on indefinite action with
effect from January 2, 2016. We have already notified all the appropriate
bodies on the ultimatum which will expire on the said day.”
In a 15-point
resolution, which was a fallout of the NARD’s National Executive Council
Meeting held in Abuja, he called on the Federal Government to “as a matter of
urgency, institute mechanisms to stem the rot in the health sector and ensure
that quality healthcare is accessible to all Nigerians.”
He decried the poor
budgetary allocation to the health ministry, noting that adequate provision and
planning should be made for both manpower and infrastructural development in
subsequent budgets.
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