BY CAROLINE AMEH
ABUJA – The Senate has averted a prolonged shutdown of hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by intervening in the strike declared by resident doctors.
Lawmakers on Thursday held marathon talks with the leadership of the Association of Resident Doctors, FCTA, led by Dr. George Ebong, to secure the immediate suspension of the action that had paralyzed healthcare services since Monday.
The doctors had accused FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of neglecting their welfare and service conditions, describing their working environment as “risky and unprofessional.”
Chairman of the Senate Committee on the matter, Senator Peter Jimikuta (Taraba South), assured the striking doctors that the National Assembly would directly engage the FCT Administration to ensure urgent relief measures.
He vowed to personally meet with Minister Wike before the end of the day.
Lawmakers, while commending the doctors’ patriotism in the face of the “Japa” wave, appealed to them to put national interest first by suspending the strike.
Dr. Osundara Tope Zenith, President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), warned that punitive measures such as “no-work, no-pay” could provoke a nationwide medical emergency.
After a closed-door session, Senator Jimikuta described the talks as “robust,” expressing optimism that the doctors would brief their members and return with a decision to call off the strike.
