Resident doctors at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) yesterday embarked on a six day warning strike.

 

Officials of the union said the action was in compliance with a direc­tive from their national headquarters.

 

President of the association in UMTH chapter, Dr. Joseph Gadzama, said based on humanitiarian grounds, a few members were however at­tend­ing to emergency cases.

 

“The association wishes to bring to the notice of the public that the fragile peace in the health sector is being rocked today. The strike is to address the lapses on the side of the government. This is as a result of the verbal directive given by Mr Linus Awutie, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health to chief medical directors of federal tertiary hospitals to stop skipping for medical officers.

 

“The association wishes to bring to the notice of the public that the fragile peace in the health sector is being rocked today. The strike is to address the lapses on the side of the government. This is as a result of the verbal directive given by Mr Linus Awutie, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health to chief medical directors of federal tertiary hospitals to stop skipping for medical officers.

 

 

“The association wishes to bring to the notice of the public that the fragile peace in the health sector is being rocked today. The strike is to address the lapses on the side of the govern­ment. This is as a result of the verbal directive given by Mr Linus Awutie, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health to chief medical directors of federal tertiary hospitals to stop skipping for medical officers.

 

“The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) remuneration committee had resolved this issue amicably with the permanent secretary after an interactive session in his office in March 2015. The federal government has approved the payment of the skipping with an official backing from the office of the Head of Service of the Federation in Decem­ber 2013. The NMA is totally opposed to the reversal of the implementation of skipping,” he said.

 

by: Hamza Idris