*As NARD threatens strike

By Chioma Obinna

LAGOS— The relative peace in the nation’s health sector may suffer a major threat should the Federal Government fail to respond to the three-week ultimatum issued by the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, to embark on an industrial action if their demands are not met.

The medical doctors had served a strike notice which will expire January 2, 2017, shortly after its emergency executive committee meeting in Abuja.

The doctors said they were determined to carry out their threat, if nothing was done on or before the expiry date.

Resident doctors are agitating for a uniform template for Residency Programme, infrastructure for tertiary health facilities, proper grading of doctors and payment of outstanding salaries, among other demands.

Other demands include the implementation of the National Health Act and the July 14 agreement reached by stakeholders at a meeting called by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Dogara.

Public Relations Officer of the association, Dr Ugoeze Asinobi, appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the lingering crises in the health sector to avert strike.

Asinobi, who spoke yesterday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, explained that the doctors had shelved the planned strike three times in the past four months and were bent on going on strike from January 2.

Asinobi said: “We don’t want strikes but we are going to have to resort to it again. The residency programme is fundamental to effective health care, given the dearth of manpower as the country has less than 20 per cent of required experts.”