Doctors’ strike: Uduaghan intervenes, assures of early call off

Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has assured of early suspension of the nationwide strike by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), which has crippled medical services. He hinted that the strike would be called off in the next few days.

The governor, who fielded questions from journalists in Asaba, Delta State, observed that lives have been lost as a result of the strike action, disclosing that he has met with all the parties involved in the industrial face off, assuring that members of NMA have agreed that if they could not call off the strike action, skeletal services would be rendered for the sake of lives of Nigerians.

“If you recall, the doctors gave a warning strike sometime in December, 2013; they were to go on another strike early January but we had to intervene and some agreements were reached with the Federal Government.

“I understand that some of those agreements that were reached have not been fulfilled and that is some of the reasons they had to go on strike that started on the 1st of July.”

He said he had to move to Abuja when the strike commenced and put together a team of some medical doctors in government including the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; Dr. Doyin Okupe Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications, and held a meeting with the government team led Anyim Pius Anyim; Minister of Health; Minister of State for Health; Minister for Labour; and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health.

“Thereafter, we held a special meeting with them and discussed the major issues; we then brought in the officials of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and extensive meetings were held till quite late into the night.

“I think reasonably, some of the issues have been resolved and hopefully, emergency services should start very soon by God’s grace, in the next few days because, they still need to meet with the delegates (I think they call it the emergency delegate meeting) in the next few days hopefully,” the governor stated.