The Southwest zone of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently declare a state of emergency in the country’s health sector.
The body while reacting to the ongoing nationwide industrial action by members National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) also told the federal government to urgently roll out palliatives to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.
The chairman of NMA in the zone, comprising Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States, Dr Babatunde Rosiji who spoke with LEADERSHIP in Ado Ekiti noted that the NARD strike is causing serious problem as surgical and other operations have been grounded.
Rosiji who doubles as the chairman, NMA Ekiti State branch said the current reality occasioned by the perpetual neglect of the health sector and the sudden removal of the fuel subsidy without palliatives is making things seriously unbearable for our members to get to work.
He said, “It is unfortunate that as a nation we have found ourselves at the point where medical professionals, doctors have to go on strike for weeks before the right things are done. Let it be on record that NMA Ekiti State branch is hundred percent in support of the NARD on this current struggle.
“Because moving to the hospital, running cost and all the likes are virtually prohibitive for our members and that is why I belief that the demands of the resident doctors association asking for nothing less than 600 percent increase in the emolument of doctors is in tandem with the current reality.’’
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