Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Salihu Moh. Lukman has condemned the inability of the Ministers of Labour and Health, Chris Ngige and Osagie Enahire respectively, as well as Nigeria’s Labour to a come to a compromise to avoid the incessant medical doctors strike that has continuously paralyzed the nation’s health sector
Lukman in a statement he issued Sunday in Abuja regretted the indefinite nationwide strike embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), and called for legal restrictions on strikes by all essential services providers in the country, even as knocked the Ministers of Labour and Health for their lethargic responses to industrial issues which usually culminates into strikes in the sector and consequent loss of lives.
The resident doctors had resumed strike last week, four months after it called off an earlier strike demanding improved conditions, payment of salaries ranging between two to nineteen months by some state governments, failure to domesticate Medical Residency Training (MRT) Act 2017 in states, among others.Lukman said; “given the cost to human lives from strikes by health workers, it is quite alarming that strikes in a sector as important as health would be taking place at all.
“This is a sector that by every standard should be classified as essential, based on which there should be special legal restrictions regarding labour actions such as strikes. Healthcare, utility services such as electricity and water supply, law enforcement, fire fighting and food services are all categorized both by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations (UN) as essential services”.He said being categorized as essential services does not prevent workers in the sector from being organized under a trade union, even as he berated the relevant ministries for not doing enough in the circumstance.
While emphasizing the need to re orientate the practise of labour relations in Nigeria, the PGF boss argued that. “A situation whereby because citizens are angry with government and political leaders, essential services are withdrawn, and lives of citizens cheaply sacrificed must stop.”
“A situation where conducts of medical practitioners, being also members of trade unions, conflict with the Code of Ethics they subscribed to must be resolved in favour of protecting the lives of Nigerians. Under no circumstance should a registered medical doctor who is a member of the Medical and Dental Council conduct himself or herself in manners that neglect the primary responsibility of attending to sick persons in Nigerian hospitals
“It is quite frustrating, when political appointees, such as Ministers of Labour and Health are unable to proactively pre-empt strikes of health workers in the country. As loyal members of APC, being the governing party, we must appeal to our Ministers of Labour and Health to wake up to their responsibilities and end this political embarrassment coming with huge costs to the lives of citizens,” he emphasized
