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The Federal government on Tuesday begged the striking members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, to shelve their planned nationwide protest and stop the ongoing strike for the sake of Nigerians because many people are dying in numbers in the hospitals across the country.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Daju Kachallom, made this appeal in Abuja when she addressed journalists at the ministry’s headquarters, Abuja.
Daju, who has been conciliating on behalf of government with unions newsmen begged the NARD members not to allow more Nigerians to die due to their absence in the hospitals.
She pleaded with the striking Doctors to return to work without further delay to save their fellow countrymen whose lives are hanging between life and death, assuring that the government is working assiduously to meet all the demands of NARD in a short period of time.
The Permanent Secretary explained that the major issues of which NARD had insisted prompt response, were the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) and the one on one replacement of doctors in hospitals.
She also said that while the committee set up to look into the issues raised by NARD needs to conclude their work within the time frame given and submit recommendations for government to work with, government had appealed to the striking doctors to exercise little patience for ministers to come on board.
“We are pleading with them to call off the strike. To be honest, the Federal Ministry of Health their parent ministry actually wrote to the Presidency on the issue in the health sector for him to intervene, we are awaiting his response.”
On the planned picketing of Health ministries and agencies nationwide, the Permanent Secretary said, ” government is committed without a doubt, to considering the expectations of all parties consent in the interest of industrial harmony and peace, that is what we need.
“I want to reiterate this government’s commitment to peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues. In doing that, I assure you that the government will adhere to all approved standard industrial relations procedures and best practices.”