Nigerian Resident Doctors To Embark On Nationwide"Sympathy Strike" With Sacked Lagos Doctors

Dr. Saheed Babajide President-NARD of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital

By SaharaReporters, New York

National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, an organization of medical doctors in all the University Teaching Hospitals across  Nigeria has directed all its members nationwide to embark on a three-day warning strike to sympathize with their  colleagues recently sacked by the Lagos state government.
After massively voting in support of the action late night Saturday, the congress resolved that all Resident Doctors embark on a warning strike this week should the crisis between the Lagos State Government and the sacked doctors is not resolved. As a way of attracting all interested bodies in order to facilitate a immediate and lasting solution to the health crisis in Lagos State, NARD said the warning strike shall begin on Thursday and last till Saturday.
President of NARD, Dr. T.J. Achonwa directed all the resident doctors to stay off their jobs in the Teaching Hospitals all over Nigeria in those three days if the crisis in Lagos State health sector continues till Thursday.
President of the Association at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Saheed Babajide said the association also concluded that if the crisis still does not resolve after the warning strike, it will harbinger an indefinite strike by all Resident Doctors.
 “We resolved that all Resident Doctors should go on strike on a warning Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But if by June 12, the crisis is still on between the Lagos State government and the doctors, we shall then embark on an indefinite national strike”, said Dr. Saheed, President of Association of Resident Doctors in LUTH in a conversation with us last night.
It will be recalled that the National Union of Petroleum and Gas [NUPENG]  workers had also threatened a strike action that will cause the shutting down of Oil and Gas stations in Lagos State by Tuesday if the health crisis in Lagos is not resolved.
Health workers in Lagos State had embarked on a strike action to express sympathy with the sacked doctors earlier while there are indications that other union workers both within and without the health sector  may be joining the strike as a result of the lingering feud between the Lagos State government and aggrieved medical doctors seeking better condition of pay.