The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the country’s health sector as soon as possible.
In a communiqué issued on Sunday following its ordinary general meeting held on May 28 and June 3 in Lagos, the association of doctors stated that the age of paying lip service to brain drain in the sector should be over.
The association in the communique jointly signed by the president of the association, Dr Orji Emeka Innocent; secretary general, Dr Chikezie Kelechi; and publicity and social secretary, Dr Umar Musa, urged the government to form a high powered panel to review and harmonise the reports of past president Obasanjo Health Agenda for Nigeria committee and the former Vice President Osinbajo-led Health Sector Reform Committee in order to develop a healthcare strategy for the Tinubu administration.
The doctors also demanded an implementation of at least a 200 per cent increment in the CONMESS salary structure and the associated allowances as enshrined in its July 7, 2022 letter to the government.
“We have resolved to give the new government some time to quickly resolve this issue, which is at the root of the current spate of massive brain drain in the sector,” it stated.
On issues relating to subsidy removal, the association urged President Tinubu to take immediate action to mitigate the impact of subsidy removal on vulnerable Nigerians.
It encouraged the government to ensure that the funds saved from the withdrawal of subsidies were wisely spent and invested in significant expenditures such as health and education that would improve the lives of all Nigerians.
It also urged Governors Adedapo Abiodun (Ogun), Alex Otti (Abia), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara), as well as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), to investigate the state of health in their respective states, claiming that they are capable of upsetting the industrial peace in their respective states.
