Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, has ordered the replacement of all
striking resident doctors in the various government teaching hospitals.
In a circular released today June 21st, the Minister said the striking
doctors failed to attend their training programmes despite ongoing
negotiations and so their vacancies should be filled up with other
doctors that have before now sent in their applications.Read the circular signed by the spokesperson of the ministry, Boade Akintola, below;
“It has come to the notice of the Management of the Ministry that some
Resident Doctors in your establishment have voluntarily withdrawn from
the Residency Training Program by refusing to report for training
without authorization. Public Service Rule, PSR 030402 (e) is relevant.
This is in spite of the ongoing negotiations on their demands put
forward by the representatives of the National Association of Resident
Doctors (NARD) under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association.
In view of this development, you are hereby directed to replace all the
Doctors that have withdrawn their services, with others from the pool of
applicants for the training programs in the various disciplines in
order not to create ominous gap in training with attendant disruption of
health care delivery in your facility. Meanwhile, the ministry is
working with the panel on the review of the Residency Training Program
in Nigeria, led by Professor Wole Atoyebi, the Registrar of the National
Postgraduate Medical College, to fast-track the development of a
comprehensive blueprint for postgraduate training of doctors in the
country. Please, ensure immediate compliance.”