Resident doctors at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, have refused to join the ongoing nationwide strike embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), stating that they could not abandon their patients.
The state’s resident doctors said they could not turn their back at their patients in view of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and the world in general.
Explaining the circumstances to journalists on Thursday, president, NARD, UPTH branch, Dr. Ameh Ameh, said their decision followed extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders in the health sector.
“We are using this opportunity to address the press on our stand concerning the present situation. As an association, as far as the nationwide strike involving resident doctors is concerned, we have consulted our stakeholders, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) president, who is newly elected into the association, as well as other national and state executives of the NMA.
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“We have decided that for now, we will not be embarking on the nationwide strike as a local chapter and the reason has to do with the fact that we understand that the leadership of the NMA are negotiating on modalities to actualise some of those demands. Besides, we cannot abandon our patients now that they need us most to care for them.”
Ameh, however, urged the Federal Government to empathise with the health workers and do the needful for the doctors to protect the interest of the patients.
“The fact that we also recognise the peculiarity of the situation in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital as well as the country at large because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation it has created, we realised that all health workers are playing an essential role in helping to stem the tide of the disease and to reduce the impact on all patients in the country.
“It should also be on record that the demands made by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors. We understand them and we fully agree with them. However, when putting everything together, we have seen that won’t be in the best interest of the general population especially, Rivers people if we embark on this strike,” Ameh said.
