The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has appealed to Nigerians over the ongoing strike action by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The resident doctors, on April 1, began an indefinite strike over salary arrears and owed allowances by the federal government.
Enema Amodu, NMA chairman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, speaking to reporters, apologized for the strike action but insisted that it has to continue the strike for the sake of doctors’ welfare to enable them to meet the needs of patients.
Amodu said: “Doctors are not insensitive; we hope that the government and those in charge of the discussion with NARD will take it seriously, to settle the issues at stake.
“To our patients, we are very sorry that you have to suffer this epileptic irregular healthcare service delivery; we have taken an oath to take care of you.
“But if a doctor is not in a sound state of mind and is not happy with what he or she is getting from the job, the doctor may not be in the right frame of mind to discharge his or her duty right.
He assured Nigerians of maximum care when the government meets their demands.
“By the time we get placed properly, remuneration and other welfare matters and facilities that we need to serve you, we will be able to serve you better with productive results,” Amodu added.