The Catholic Archbishop of the Abuja Archdiocese, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has decried the threat posed by the ongoing industrial action by resident doctors in the country.
He said the situation is compounding the suffering of Nigerians already being ravaged by poverty.
The strike by doctors under the auspices of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) over the non implementation of the agreement on welfare packages is now eight days old with no resolution in sight.
The Archbishop, who bared his mind on Sunday in his Homily at St. Dominic’s Parish, Kwali in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja said it will be deplorable for the federal government not to act fast in finding solutions to the dispute until people have died or suffered irreversible damages.
Kaigama said: “Many of our people are being ravaged by poverty. As if that is not enough, we now have the strike of the National Association of Resident Doctors compounding an already worrisome situation of hunger due to the escalating prices of food stuff.”
He said that the doctors are striking over their pay, insurance benefits and the need to improve medical facilities.
According to Kaigama, the frequent industrial actions of various professional groups reflected the poor attention given to workers with very sensitive responsibilities by the government.
He further said that it has become normal for the government to dilly dally in finding the best solutions until people have died or suffered irreversible damages.
He added that it is not surprising that many of our doctors are happily taking job opportunities in European countries and beyond, where their services are needed and valued.
“It appears not to disturb our authorities that we are losing many health experts, not because they want to leave the country, but because they don’t experience any job satisfaction and their effort to serve patriotically is not reciprocated by a conducive working environment and appropriate remuneration and incentives.
“We hope the third wave of COVID-19 which is here and infections and fatality rates are on the increase, will convince the government to swing into positive action to see that the resident doctors resume their duties, with the needed medical measures taken to save lives. May God save us from further loss of lives.
“May God keep us safe so that we can go about our business in the farms, markets and schools without fear of attacks. May God provide for us food as He did for Prophet Elijah,” said Kaigama.
