COVID-19: Doctors commence indefinite strike, see why

Members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba, Delta State have started indefinitely strike, Onyxnews Nigeria can report.

This reliable online news platform understands that doctors are starting this indefinite strike due to steady harassment by the State Government as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Onyxnews Nigeria also reports that President of the ARD, Asaba FMC chapter, Osifo Patrick Nwabunor, at a media briefing in Asaba, insisted that since the lockdown started on April 1, health officials have been subjected to steady harassment by the police even when they present valid means of identification as necessary service providers.

Nwabunor alleged that the harassment increased on Thursday when a doctor, who was going for an emergency, was stopped and assaulted.

He added that when other colleagues came to his rescue, they were allegedly attacked with tear-gass by the policemen

He said as a result of the constant harassment, the doctors were commencing on “total shutdown of their services indefinitely until our safety and security is guaranteed.”

Nwabunor said that the association was not callous to go on the indefinite strike in the midst of COVID-19 crisis but cannot continue to discharge their duties in an environment of consistent threats and insecurity.

Nwabunor stated that, “These are challenging times in view of the COVID-19 but if our safety is not guaranteed, we will maintain the total shutdown.”

Nwabunor listed three conditions, such as, no health worker should be harassed when he/she presents a valid means of identification; items destroyed during the Okpanam issue should be replaced and adequate security should be provided within the intern of the hospital before they can return to work.

He also made known about the inadequate of protective kits for front line health workers across both federal and state hospitals, appealing to the authorities  to provide the kits and as well as increase the hazard allowance.