The Forum of Chairmen of Health Institutions in Nigeria (FCHIN) has described the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) as “insensitive“.
Forum Chairman Dr Sam Jaja said this when he led the leadership of the forum to a meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige on Saturday in Abuja.
It said that considering its findings that the Federal Government has substantially met the demands of doctors, as well as taking steps to reposition the health sector, the strike did not speak well of the profession whose practitioners swore an oath to save lives.
Jaja said the forum chose a four-pronged approach to resolve the dispute and frowned at the frequent resort to strike by doctors.
“The Committee of Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) briefed us and it is just exactly what you have narrated. All hope was that the meeting of last week where all the affiliates of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), except NARD, signed the MoU would resolve the strike.
“We feel so concerned the strike hasn’t been called off. Strike should be the last resort when every other effort has been exhausted in terms of finding solution to whatever the problem is.
“But for any little thing, you resort to disruption of services; it does not portray the country in good light. It doesn’t also portray the profession in good light, most especially a profession that has to do with the preservation of human lives.
“It makes them (doctors) insensitive and that is not right. For whatever reason, I think we should nip it in the bud. That is what we as a Forum of Chairmen of Health Institutions of Nigeria are in for.
“We need to find solution to this. It is not good for us and it is not good for them. I bet that as you are solving this problem, others are warming up to start theirs. We can’t allow them to continue. We must find a permanent solution,” he said.
Forum chair added that as the representatives of their employers, they could not continue to fold their arms over this constant disruptions of health services in the country.
He, therefore, said that the forum’s plan was to first meet with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), NARD and the Ministry of Health before visiting the Minister of Labour. (NAN)