- Title: Nigerian doctors begin strike over salary, allowances
- Date: 2nd August 2021
- Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (AUGUST 2, 2021) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER VARIOUS OF PATIENTS SEATED INSIDE THE HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM STAFF WALKING INTO EMPTY CONSULTATION ROOM CORRIDOR VARIOUS DR. ROLAND AIGBOVO AND COLLEAGUES TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREASURER OF NIGERIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ABUJA CHAPTER, DR. ROLAND AIGBOVO, SAYING: ''Some of our members are being owed salaries of up to 10 months, some up to eight months at the state tertiary health institutions and we believe that as we speak what I get and other health workers is 5 thousand nairas as hazard allowance considering the most hazard we are exposed to this, we believe that even federal government is playing politics with it with the issue of improved hazard allowance which is not proper.'' VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF HOSPITAL BUILDING AT FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE ABUJA / PEOPLE WALKING BY (SOUNDBITE) (English) TREASURER OF NIGERIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ABUJA CHAPTER, DR. ROLAND AIGBOVO, SAYING: "Thinking about the third wave and the Delta variant, well the truth of the matter is that there is no better time to say we want to proceed on a strike action because we can only give our best if all the enabling environment is provided and that enabling environment includes our welfare which borders on enumeration that is due us.'' VARIOUS OF TECH ENTREPRENEUR, FELIX NYIKWAGH, SEATED AT HIS DESK IN THE OFFICE NYIKWAGH'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) TECH ENTREPRENEUR, FELIX NYIKWAGH, SAYING: ''But they need to consider the plight of the masses. People go to government hospitals to access cheap services. If they are not there, who will take care of them? The doctors may be justified in their actions but they need to rethink their position because of the plight of the masses and I think that is the core of their profession.''
- 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: LVA001EOL8F9J
- 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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