- Title: Nigerian doctors begin strike over salary, allowances
- Date: 2nd August 2021
- Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (FILE - JANUARY 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DOCTORS FIXING OXYGEN ON COVID PATIENTS SITTING OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL WARD MAN STANDING UP VARIOUS OF COVID PATIENT LYING ON A BED IN A HOSPITAL WARD
- Embargoed: 16th August 2021 17:40
- Keywords: National Association of Resident Doctors Nigeria Medical Association doctors' union indefinite strike resident doctors
- Location: ABUJA AND LAGOS, NIGERIA
- City: ABUJA AND LAGOS, NIGERIA
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Africa,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA002EOL8F9J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Resident doctors in Nigerian public hospitals began an indefinite strike on Monday (August 2) over grievances that include the delayed payment of salaries and allowances, the doctors' union said, as the country faces rising COVID-19 infections.
Nigerian doctors frequently strike over what they say are poor conditions of service. Last year they walked out from their jobs three times, including over demands for an allowance for treating coronavirus patients.
Dr. Roland Aigbovo, treasurer of Nigeria Medical Association, Abuja chapter, said some members were owed salaries of up to 10 months.
Asked about the timing of the strike as the country faces a third wave of COVID-19 infections, Aigbovo told Reuters doctors can only give their best "if all the enabling environment is provided".
A ministry of health spokesperson said he would try to provide a comment later on Monday.
Nigeria has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases since mid-July. Some 174,315 cases and 2,149 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak last year, official data shows.
In a communique issued on Saturday (July 31), after a meeting of its national executive council, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) said salary shortfalls stretching over months, failure to pay some doctors COVID-19 allowances, and shortages of manpower in hospitals were among the reasons that had pushed its members to strike.
Lagos state said the decision by the doctors was hasty and appealed for restraint from NARD doctors in the state.
Resident doctors are pivotal to frontline healthcare in Nigeria as they dominate the emergency wards in its hospitals.
Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, president of NARD said his union represented 16,000 resident doctors out of a total of 42,000 doctors in Africa's most populous country.
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