Patients currently receiving treatment in government-owned hospitals may be in for a hard time as the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) began an indefinite nationwide strike on Monday.
This is after a meeting between the doctors and the federal government failed to yield any meaningful result.
In a brief statement issued after a meeting that ended in the early hours of Monday, the doctors said the strike would not be called off until government accedes to all their demands.
“Rising from our NEC meeting, which started by 7pm yesterday and ended 3am today, NARD has resolved to reject the promissory offer from Government, and proceed on total and indefinite strike action until all items in her demand list for strike action are resolved by Government,” read the statement, signed by Onyebueze John, the association’s National President.
Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour, had met with the leadership of NARD on Saturday and had told journalists after the meeting that the doctors had agreed to suspend the proposed strike.
But the doctors later denied this, saying no decision was reached at the meeting.
Teaching hospitals across the country are expected to be the worst affected by the strike.
Meanwhile, the ongoing nationwide industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has entered its third week and it appears no end is in sight though negotiations between the government and ASUU are expected to continue after the Sallah holidays.