From Esther Akaa
The Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Enema Amodu, has appealed to the Federal Government to address the demands of health workers in the country.
Dr Amodu made the plea at a press conference held on Sunday in Abuja following the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
He said that NMA FCT and by extension, NMA national was in support of the NARD strike, urging government and those saddled with the responsibility of discussing with the union to take the matter seriously.
“A lot of issues have been troubling us in the health sector; we want to use this opportunity to plead with government to respond to the needs of health workers.
“To our patients, we are very sorry that you have to suffer this epileptic irregular healthcare service delivery; we have taken an oath to take care of you.
“But if a doctor is not in sound state of mind, he or she is not happy with what he or she is getting from the job, the doctor may not be in right frame of mind to discharge duties right.
“We are not insensitive, we hope that government and those in charge of this discussion with NARD will take the matter seriously, with a view to settling the burning issues,” he said.
He therefore, called on federal government to address all issues presented by NARD with the seriousness it deserves.
It would be recalled that the resident doctors went on strike on 1 April to press home their demand for upward review of their N5000 hazard allowance, payment of outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, among others.
