The Federal Government has described as ill-timed and ill-advised the ongoing strike by the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at a time that the country is battling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement in Abuja yesterday, Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, urged the doctors to return to work and engage the government in completing ongoing process of implementing its agreement with NARD. He also directed that routine services should be maintained with consultants and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) doctors,

The Nasarawa State chapter of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has rejected the directive by the state government that doctors on the payroll of government should desist from private practice or face sanction. Dr Sabo Emmanuel, NMA Chairman in the state, stated this while briefing newsmen on Wednesday in Lafia.

The NMA chairman was reacting to the directive recently given by the Nasarawa State Government that doctors working with the state are not allowed to work or owned private health facilities. Emmanuel said the directive was not acceptable by the association as their members were not using official time for private practice.

Safety is paramount in vaccine clinical trials and temporary suspensions are not unusual to evaluate any unexplained illness in a participant, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday regarding the pause in an AstraZeneca COVID-19 trial.

AstraZeneca has suspended global trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine after an unexplained illness in a participant, knocking the British drugmaker’s shares on Wednesday as prospects for an early rollout dimmed.

The Federal Government has approved additional N8 billion to be released immediately for the payment of special/hazard allowances to resident doctors. The Federal Government also set two weeks timeline for the payment of the N4 billion Medical Residency Training for 2020 to striking resident doctors.

Also, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has been given the task to effect the quick payment of the money to the doctors.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, says the Federal Government has paid up to N20bn in COVID-19 inducement allowance to doctors and health workers in the country. The minister, who applauded all front-line health workers in the country amid the fight against the pandemic, made this known on Wednesday morning while featuring on Channels Television‘s programme, Sunrise Daily.

About 16,000 doctors have downed tools over the government’s inability to meet their demands including insurance package, payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance as well as the payment of medical residency training funding.

The Lagos State Aids Control Agency on Tuesday said it conducted HIV/AIDS test for 500 residents in the Epe Local Government Area of Lagos. A statement said the outreach was in collaboration with the Oloja of Epeland, Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun, Arolugbade II, on the premises of the Epe council secretariat.

The Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Dr Monsurat Adekele, said the programme was aimed at achieving global epidemic control of HIV/AIDS by the end of 2020.

Healthcare workers at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, on Monday, joined the nationwide strike called by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that many essential places in the hospital, including the pharmacy, the medical records section and two of the main gates into the hospital were locked. 

The JOHESU Chairman, UCH Chapter, Mr Adeolu Alli, said the strike became imperative after “a long period” — three years of waiting on the Federal Government.

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oyebanji Filani, has reiterated the state government’s commitment to improved health care indices as part of human capital development in the state.

Filani said the commitment was evident in the ongoing renovation of primary health care centres, the state government’s COVID-19 response and other interventions.

The Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, Prof Adekunle Ajayi, has called on philanthropists and groups to lend support to hospitals in form of cash, equipment and facilities donations to improve their services to humanity.

Ajayi, who said that FETHI had incorporated an indigent fund with which it intended to fund the health care needs of the poor patients

The Abia State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Osuji, has said he was not aware that workers of the state Hospital Management Board were owed 14-month salary arrears.

Osuji, who was reacting to a protest embarked upon by the state HMB staff, explained that the state government would meet with the leadership of the unions with a view to resolving the matter. On the unpaid salaries, the commissioner said, “I don’t know about that.