Impact of Resident Doctors strike on health services.
The health sector has once again been crippled by recent industrial action declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) as it enters it’s sixth day.
The National President, Dr. Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa made the announcement last Sunday during the National Executive Council meeting in Umuahia, Abia state after the expiration of the one hundred and thirty three days ultimatum issued to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
This has reduced the capacity of the few consultant physicians as they cannot cope with the number of patients and the hospital management is forced to discharge admitted patients and turn back new ones.
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Both federal and state health sectors have been facing challenges in dispensing their duties due to industrial actions by either the Doctors or other Medical Associations like nurses and laboratory scientists, which has affected service delivery negatively in recent times.
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The bone of contention this time is the non-release of Medical Residency funds as well as difficulties encountered by members on Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platforms, causing delay in the payment of wages for up to seven months.
It is expedient for the government of the day to take the right steps towards resolving the issues both at the federal and state levels before it gets worse and result in grave health consequences.
Besides the National Center for Disease Control’s warning on the increase in suspected case of COVID-19, there’s the issue of Cholera ravaging 16 States, including the Federal Capital Territory.
The rising Cholera outbreak has caused the death of at least 352 and a record of 14,343 suspected cases and 27% of those infected being within the age bracket of 5 and 14 years.
It is therefore important that relevant stake holders do the needful to end the strike with the will to serve the masses and provide quality health services as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria.
