After several weeks of downing tools following the Federal Government’s inability to meet their demands, as stated in the several Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in Lagos are back to work.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, revealed that the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has met some of the demands made by the doctors.
According to Governor Sanwo-Olu, who met with the representatives of NARD, there was no need for the doctors to take part in the strike as the state government has been supporting doctors in the state to ensure that they deliver maximally on their job.
This is coming about two weeks after the Saudi Arabian Government commenced a recruitment exercise that saw several Nigerian doctors leaving the country to seek greener pastures.
The doctors decried the state of the Nigerian healthcare system which has over time, been in a vegetative state following the failure of the government to give the sector the desired attention.
Meanwhile, the meeting which had in attendance, key stakeholders in the health sector including Deputy Governor, Femi Hamzat; Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola; Health Commissioner, Akin Abayomi, the Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Government resolved that:
- The Head of Service (HOS) will remove Housemanship and NYSC doctors from the Scheme of Service.
- Governor Sanwo-Olu approved the recruitment of over 150 new resident doctors and medical officers as part of efforts to reduce the human resource deficit in the public service.
- The governor also approved the final tranche of 25 percent difference to complete the harmonization in a bid to deal with the discrepancy between the remuneration packages of the state and federal doctors in the public service.
This also comes as a morale booster for the doctors who are set to resume work and deliver properly on the job of saving lives.
In the meantime, the implication of the move by the Lagos State Government is that residents of Lagos are guaranteed proper healthcare service especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and other health challenges.
