An estimated 14,000 resident doctors in tertiary hospitals who have been on strike were yesterday sacked and ordered replaced by the federal government.
The action came after many failed negotiations between the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the federal government over work condition, training and other welfare matters.
The intervention by House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, also failed to get the doctors back to work.
Minster of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole, yesterday directed that they should be replaced with others from the pool of applicants for the training programmes in the various disciplines.
The minister issued the stern directive to Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Director (MDs) of Federal Government Tertiary Health Institutions to fill the vacancies created by the resident doctors who have abandoned their training programme by refusing to report for work.
The directive, according to a statement by Mrs.Boade Akinola, Director, Media and Public Relations, ministry of Health, was contained in a circular signed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Amina Shamaki and sent to the CMDs and MDs of the Federal Tertiary Health Institutions.
The Circular reads:
“It has come to the notice of the Management of the Ministry that some Resident Doctors in your establishment have voluntarily withdrawn from the Residency Training Program by refusing to report for training without authorization. Public Service Rule, PSR 030402 (e) is relevant. This is in spite of the ongoing negotiations on their demands put forward by the representatives of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association.
“In view of this development, you are hereby directed to replace all the Doctors that have withdrawn their services, with others from the pool of applicants for the training programs in the various disciplines in order not to create ominous gap in training with attendant disruption of health care delivery in your facility.
“Meanwhile, the Ministry is working with the panel on the review of the Residency Training Program in Nigeria, led by Professor Wole Atoyebi, the Registrar of the National Postgraduate Medical College, to fast-track the development of a comprehensive blueprint for postgraduate training of doctors in the country.
“Please, ensure immediate compliance.
In this harsh economy, 14k doctors are now jobless? Toh, it is well o.
