The federal government has admonished the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) over its decision to embark on a seven-day warning strike.
The government said the action of the doctors fell short of expectations, given that the issue that led them to embark on the warning strike was being addressed.
Consequently, the government vowed to activate its “no work, no pay” policy for the seven days the resident doctors’ action lasted.
It may be recalled that the resident doctors had embarked on a warning strike to register their displeasure over the inability of the government to rescue one of their members, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, abducted by bandits in December 2023 and has remained in the kidnappers, den for eight months now.
The government, reacting to the doctors’ action which has crippled activities in the nation’s public hospitals across the country, insisted that the medical doctors would forfeit their benefits for the days their action lasted.
The statement, released by Ado Bako, Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Health, explained that “Over the past months, the Ministry, in collaboration with relevant security agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, have been working tirelessly to ensure the immediate and safe rescue of Dr Ganiyat Popoola.”
He also posited that high-level discussions and coordinated efforts are currently underway and they remain confident that the measures will lead to a positive outcome.
