The Federal government has said that doctors who refuse to resume at their duty would be assumed to have lose their jobs.
The Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire said this on Tuesday after he ordered Chief Medical Doctors of hospitals across the country to open attendance registers for resident doctors.
Odunews.com reports that the Resident doctors commenced a nationwide strike on Monday.
The doctors are demanding payment of hazard allowance, group life insurance, payment of minimum wage and provision of adequate personal protective equipment for all health workers
A meeting between the Health Minister and resident doctors to halt the strike on Tuesday ended in a deadlock.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Ehanire said: “One day, you will be sitting where we are sitting; you will be going through the same thing we are going through; it is a circle of life.
“In other countries, we have seen retired doctors and workers come out of retirement. Nigeria is the first country in the world where health workers went on strike during a pandemic.
“We at the ministry of health are ready to protect the lives of Nigerians, we are not going to allow our hospitals to fallow.
“The government has an obligation to support and keep the health every Nigerians.
“The resident doctors have told us that they are not returning to work very soon until certain conditions are met and they cannot keep extending the goal post any time they like.
“Those who report to work will be taken as those who are still in service and the register will be closed at 12 noon and by then we will know who want to still be in service.”
Aliyu Sokomba, NARD president, said the resident doctors will only end the strike within 24 hours when the federal government proposes a tangible deal on meeting the union’s demands.
