The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, says following a directive from President Mohammadu Buhari, to resolve all issues without technicality, he was compelled to meet with the striking resident Doctors again.
He said this is after the ministry had approached the National Industrial Court, to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy on the striking resident doctors.
The Minister made this known, at the ongoing meeting in Abuja with the Nigerian Medical Association and the National Association of Resident Doctors.
Ngige with the Minister of State for Health, Olurunnibe Momora, said that the National Industrial Court, NIC agreed with the NARD to return to talks in alternative dispute resolution mediation.
While expressing confidence that after today’s meeting the ongoing strike will be called off, the two Ministers who are leading the government team, insist on the Doctors placing the patients first.
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The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Professor Innocent Ujah, says the lingering issue between the federal government and the resident doctors, are totally avoidable, insisting however that there is no pretence that all is well.
Ujah argues that the NMA was not carried along in the 20-day old strike, adding that No Doctor is trained to go on strike because it gives them a bad image and encourages brain drain.
Before going into a closed-door, Ngige had clarified that the NMA was never sidelined, following a previous agreement reached, stressing that it’s not also correct to mention that the government of President Buhari does not honour the agreement.
(Edited by : Tunde Orebiyi)
