The Federal Government has appealed to resident doctors to consider the plight of 80 percent of the citizenry in need of healthcare and not proceed on strike.
The government blamed the poor state of the health sector on the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a conciliatory meeting with the leadership of National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, in Abuja, Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said the majority of the welfare issues under contention were almost resolved even before the letter of complaint and notification of a planned strike action was delivered at the ministry.
The meeting was still ongoing at the conference room of the minister as of the time of filing this report.
Ngige, before the meeting went into a closed session, said the government had started discussions on hazard health allowance for health workers in the country.
He noted that as a conciliator, the complaints of the doctors have been adequately communicated to the relevant ministries.
The minister added several meetings have been ongoing and proposals drawn to address the situation before it degenerates into a strike.
