By Grace Udofia
Following the ongoing strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), members of the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) have replaced resident doctors at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Adamawa State.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the NYSC doctors currently serving in the hospital were seen attending to patients alongside few other senior medical officers on Thurday.
The strike had affected many departments and units, including the Accidents and Emergency units, Paediatric and Intensive Care Units, as well as Labour Ward and surgical theatres among other services.
Reacting, Mr Adamu Dodo, Head of Information and Media Relations, FMC, Yola, said the hospital was not completely shut down due to the strike.
“Everything is normal. Hospital is a teamwork setting, strengthened by synergy between and among the medical professionals and health workers,” he said.
Dodo also explained that NARD was only one category of medical doctors.
He said, “There are doctors from the ranks of Principal Medical Officers (PMO) and above, the Consultants and the NYSC, who were doing their best to attend to patients.
“This is to say that the entire service windows are opened, you’ve seen it yourself; the admission wards, the Accident and Emergency Unit and Labour Wards”.
Dodo confirmed that the only unusual circumstances being experienced were the workload shouldered by the dedicated NYSC doctors.
Recall that NARD had directed its members across the country to embark on a total strike from Aug. 2. This directive was issued on Saturday at the end of the executive meeting of the National Executive Council of the union held in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
NARD cited the inability of the Federal Government to meet the demands of the doctors as part of the reasons for the decision to go on strike.
The association apologised to Nigerians for the decision which it insisted was a result of the government’s failure in its responsibilities.
The resolutions reached at the end of the meeting, said after critical appraisal of the performance of both Federal and State Governments on all the issues affecting the welfare of its members as observed above and the insincerity of government in implementing the memorandum of action after 113 days, the NEC unanimously resolved by vote to resume the total and indefinite on Aug. 2.
The NEC in particular demanded the immediate withdrawal of the circular removing House Officers from the scheme of service.
