The President of the National Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Olusegun Olaopa, has condemned the call by the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals on President Muhammadu Buhari not to limit the choice of appointment of the two ministers of health to doctors’ circle alone.

 

In an interview with our correspondent, NUAHP President, Dr Obinna Ogbonna, said some of the crisis in the health sector remained unresolved because the two ministers of health were picked from the ranks of doctors while ignoring other allied professional unions in the sector. Ogbonna said NUAH was making efforts to reach out to Buhari to correct what he described as injustice against other allied health unions.

 

While reacting to the claim, NARD called on the leadership of NUAHP to desist from dragging doctors into their agitations and focus on the duty of providing support services in the health sector.

He said, “The attention of the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria has been drawn to the online publication on the threat of a shutdown of the Nigerian health sector by NUAHP and the readiness of the union to oppose the appointment of doctors as ministers.

 

“It has become necessary to caution the leadership of NUAHP to kindly desist from dragging doctors into their agitations and focus on the duty of ensuring the provision of necessary support services as their profession demands in various sectors of our health systems.

 

“The foundation of most crises in the health sector today is the drive by persons who have become career union leaders to continue to propagate discord in the name of championing their cause. The prerogative of appointment has been that of the President of Nigeria. We are confident that the President who has eyes for excellence will appoint the best men for the job as he did in the last appointment where the ministers performed creditably well by stabilising the health sector.”