Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in Taraba
State have embarked on an indefinite strike action to press home
their demands.
ARD President, Ahmed Gabriel, who disclosed this to journalists
in Taraba on Friday blamed the decision on the alleged inability of
the state government honouring its part of the agreement.
He lamented that medical personnel have been exposed to the
COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the total number of resident doctors
in the state is not up to 90.
According to him, the doctors are not happy with the inadequate
Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for the fight against
coronavirus, non-implementation of the reversed Hazard Allowance
and payment of COVID-19 inducement allowance and non-implementation
of the N30,000 minimum wage.
READ ALSO: Residents Kill Six Bandits, As Two
Locals Die In Kaduna
Others were insecurity as they lament the kidnap and killing of
their colleagues, non-ensuring of pay parity among doctors and
medical internship training.
“Base on the W.H.O standard, the ratio of doctor to patient
stands at one doctor to 600 patients, but in Nigeria currently the
ratio is one doctor to 6400 patients, while in Taraba state it is
one doctor to 33,000 patients and this is grossly inadequate,” he
said.
“Currently the number of Doctors who are in Taraba State is
actually less than n inety. The Taraba State Specialist hospital
created 13 years ago has 19 permanent Doctors and Doctors on
contract are 18 in number.
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“You cannot build a system or run a viable system with this kind
of arrangement and no internship training for medical interns, both
nurses and medical laboratory unlike what is experienced in sister
states.
“At the moment, there is the issue of COVID-19 pandemic and
already the second wave is with us. So far, no medical health
worker has been paid and the second wave is with us yet our morale
is low.”
While recalling that Taraba has not recorded any fatality since
the outbreak of the virus, he attributed the feat to what he
described as the resilience of the health workers within the
state.
He regretted that the state government has not honoured its
agreement by paying the COVID-19 inducement allowance for health
care workers.
“Majority of the doctors employed have left the state for
greener pasture due to the inability of the state to implement
salary scale for Doctors ”
“Majority of the doctors employed are young and there is a high
tendency that they will leave and we want the government to look
into that quickly.
“Within the state, we have more than 25 health workers that were
exposed to COVID-19 pandemic and we demand implementation of the
MOU entered into with the government,” he added.
This is coming more three months after the association signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the state government to meet some
of its pressing demands.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/12/26/resident-doctors-commence-strike-in-taraba/
Two thousand Nigerians and foreign nationals have been rescued
from kidnappers in Zamfara State, Governor Bello Matawalle has
said.
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
The governor said they were rescued in the past 19 months under
his watch, adding that the feat was made possible by using former
bandits as negotiators.
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
Matawalle gave the information when he hosted the National
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Uche Secondus who
was in Abuja to condole him on the loss of eight members of the
emir’s entourage.
According to him, no ransom was paid in the rescuing of
kidnapped victims in the state, adding that logic and dialogue had
always been deployed.
The governor stated that President Muhammadu Buhari was
adequately briefed on every security measures undertaken to secure
lives and properties.
Matawalle said his resolve to operate an open door policy was to
offer support to security agencies in the state.
He said: “We have recovered a lot of dangerous weapons which was
given to the security agencies of Nigeria and we have rescued about
2,000 kidnapped victims including some foreign nationals.
“These include people from China, Korea, Niger republic, Burkina
Faso and even Central Africa who were kidnapped and taken to
Zamfara state.
“All we are concerned with is to see our people go to sleep with
their eyes closed and that is the responsibility of every
government to provide security for the lives and properties of
which we are doing.”
Matawalle urged all state governors to put aside political
differences and put a united front to rid the country of all
criminal elements and activities, especially banditry.
Secondus, who warned that in the absence of law and order there
would be anarchy, said “security and hunger knows no party.”
He described as an “uncommon feat” the rescue of the over 300
students of the Government Science Secondary School, abducted from
Kankara, Katsina State.