Abuja doctors may suspend strike as House intervenes

Barring a last-minute change of decision, health workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) may call off the industrial action they embarked on by Thursday.

The Speaker, who had mandated the Rep. Tanko Sununu-led Committee on Health Services to intervene and ensure that the matters are resolved, pleaded with the health workers to consider the effect of the industrial action on the larger society in a period of global health challenges.

At the meeting with the Committee were members of the National Association of Resident Doctors, Medical & Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria and Nurses and Midwives Association, while the Director, Human Resources, FCT, Muhammad Bashir, stood in for Permanent Secretary.

According to the FCT Chapter President of NARD and Chairman, MDCAN, the striking workers’ grievances bordered on the failure of the FCT management to pay arrears of some allowances due to some of their members, non-payment of salary to some members employed since October 2019.

Gbajabiamila, while addressing the striking workers & the FCT management, urged the health workers to allow the intervention of the House to prevail, noting that the ripple effect of the industrial action would be enormous, not only for FCT residents but for Nigeria as a whole.

He said: “When I heard of the strike, I knew it’s going to be problematic for us in FCT. As doctors, I think you should be able to take a lot more pain, your threshold should be higher, the strike should be the last option you want to consider.

According to the Chairman of the Committee, Sununu after the meeting, the FCT management agreed to ensure that all salary payment issues with the IPPIS are resolved and the health workers would be captured by the end of April 2020.

NARD, FCT Chapter President, Aigbovo and Imotiyan of MDCAN said the congresses would be conveyed within 48 hours and would strive to convince their members to call off the strike based on the intervention of the House and the assurances by the FCT management.