By Vera Chinonso Aliyu and Ada Obeleagu, YeyeNews.com, October 11, 2021
The Minister of Health, Dr. Chris Ngige is reportedly making moves to recall “reserve doctors” in the country to replace the striking members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
YeyeNews.com reported recently that the resident doctors declared the strike action since August 2, 2021 over failure of the government to implement agreements reached with them on the payment of outstanding salaries, hazard allowance, residency training program among other issues.
After failing to compel the doctors back to work through various intimidation tactics including withholding of their salaries, threats of sack and securing a court injunction to suspend the strike, YeyeNews.com has gathered that Dr Ngige has begun consultation with leaders of various traditional medicine practitioners’ groups on how to mobilize their members across the country to perform the duties of the striking resident doctors.
Yeyenews.com reporter monitored an interview where Dr. Ngige boasted that Nigeria has more than enough doctors and that any doctor who is not satisfied with their present condition of service is free to leave. “We will employ other people to replace them. There are enough doctors in Nigeria who are currently unemployed”, the minister said.
However, sources in the Health Ministry told our reporter that the doctors Mr. Ngige referred to are actually “tradition doctors” practicing herbal medicine. “Mr. Ngige, who himself is a medical doctor, became convinced that “traditional doctors” have superior knowledge after his induction into the Okija School of Traditional Practice where experts reconfigured the functionality of his brain without any invasive techniques, hence he was able to have a tout like Chris Ubah become his master”, the source told YeyeNews.com reporter.
One of the striking resident doctors confirmed to our reporter that indeed the functionality of the minister’s brain is demonstrably retarded. “Imagine him insisting we have enough doctors when our doctor patient ratio is 1:5,000 as against the WHO recommendation of 1:600. Perhaps, he considers his friends at Okija and other places as medical doctors.”
Sources at Okija Shrine confirmed to YeyeNews.com that Mr. Ngige actually contacted their leadership for assistance in resolving the ongoing strike by NARD. “He wants us to mobilize our members to start rendering medical assistance to Nigerians that don’t have access to private health care.”
