Doctors in Nigeria's government hospitals began a strike over pay, insurance benefits and poor facilities on Monday, union leaders said, with the country facing a third COVID-19 wave of coronavirus.
The strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which represents around 40% of doctors in Africa's most populous country, is the latest in a series of medical staff work stoppages.
NARD president Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi told Axios that there would be no exemption for doctors dealing with COVID cases, and that the strike was indefinite. The doctors have long complained about various issues and grievances, he said, including of a lack of beds and drugs in hospitals as well as inadequate protective equipment.
Other demands include life insurance coverage, a pay rise and payment of unsettled wages. The union called off a 10-day strike in April, during which time health services and activities were paralysed before it was suspended.
NARD said some of its members are owed as much as 19 months' worth of salary pay by state governments, and that some hospitals have failed to give doctors the hazard stipend promised to those helping fight the virus, per Bloomberg.
The families of 19 doctors who have died of the virus have not received benefits from the governmen
According to Reuters, Nigeria has seen a rise in coronavirus cases since mid July. Some 174,315 cases and 2,149 deaths have been recorded since the pandemic began in early 2020, official data shows. Lagos state said the decision by the doctors was hasty and appealed for restraint from NARD doctors.
The health minister said in a statement that the ministry was engaging the striking doctors to resolve the issues quickly, adding that medical directors should ensure service delivery was not disrupted.
Nigeria has about 42,000 doctors, 16,000 being medical school graduates training as specialists: the latter, notes Reuters, are pivotal to frontline healthcare in Nigeria as they dominate the emergency wards in its hospitals.
Authorities fear a reduction in capacity this time could harm the country's ability to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, including a programme to administer vaccines.
Reuters article – Nigerian doctors begin strike over salary, allowances (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Nigerian health workers strike over hazard pay to treat pandemic patients
Nigerian doctors again strike over pay and working conditions
Nigerian doctors reduced to surgery by candlelight