President Jonathan Sacks Striking Doctors; Suspends Residency Training - NewsRescue.com

August 14, 2014

By: Ibrahim Olalekan

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered all Chief Medical Directors and Managing Directors in Federal Government owned hospitals to issue letters of termination of residency training appointment to striking Resident doctors in their hospitals immediately.

The directive, which was issued yesterday by the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, and signed by Honourable L. N. Awute, a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, the President directed that the action should take immediate effect.

This is owing to the unending strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which has lasted more than a month. The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has been on strike over demands for improved welfare packages in the health sector.

Earlier, Dr. Kayode Obembe, resigned as the national President of NMA due to the confusion that trailed conflicting statements regarding the suspension of the strike.

An online news agency, TheCable, disclosed that the federal government had directed that local doctors and doctors in military hospitals should be employed pending the time that the doctors are replaced.