I want to advise that the honourable minister kindly withdraws the threat to sack resident doctors, engage them in a dialogue through extraordinary means and find a quick solution to the reasons why they went on strike in the first place.
Dear Honourable Minister,
I bring you very warm greetings from my family and all men of goodwill, who wish you well in office and, who hope that you would leave your mark on the sands of time in the Federal Ministry of Health when this job comes to an end.
I am writing to you through this medium, not only as a concerned medical doctor (an elder for that matter) but also because I am a past President of NARD - the association currently on strike.
I do not want to bore you with the history of the Nigerian health sector and what little progress we have made since 1960 because I know that in your exalted position as the Honourable Minister of Health, you are already conversant with that history.
I also do not want to bore you with the struggles embarked by the NARD since 1982 to better the lot of Nigerian health sector and the healthcare manpower.
What has ignited the fire in me to write you is the pronouncement made on National television by your very good self threatening to sack all and any of the striking medical doctors if they do not go back to work by Wednesday the 17th day of June 2020.
Honorable minister, the path you are threading now is one which many of your predecessors trod in times past and it did not yield any fruits at all.
It's an old weather beaten path, which has neither generated good will nor solved any problems, rather it had always created more problems.
I am certainly sure that the honourable minister knows very well that NARD is the fulcrum of health care service delivery in Nigeria and whatever will affect its membership would surely derail any plans at improving the health care sector which your good office has envisaged in this your time.
And so, if NARD is on strike, it only means that she has explored all avenues at peacefully reconciling the differences between her and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and as the Minister of Health, your responsibility is to protect the interest of the government and the health care workers. So when you issue a threat of sack on the doctors, it is akin to reading the riot act and that is only practicable in a military setting. We are practicing a civilian democracy (I hope we are) and such approaches at commanding and threatening are tools that will always fail because they negate the rights of the individuals to express themselves freely.
COVID-19 happened on Nigeria and the government entered into an MOU to ensure that medical doctors and other health care workers are adequately protected. Information at my disposal has it that up until now, the hazard allowance is yet to be paid (three months after the MOU was signed), the PPE is yet to be made universally available and accessible, the life and accident insurance scheme is yet to be activated and the people talked and shouted so much that their voices became hoarse and then they decided to withdraw their services as that is the only tool they have; what do we have as the first reaction -- a threat to sack!
As I write, more than 150 medical foctors excluding other health care workers have tested positive to the Coronavirus and quite a number has died.
Honourable minister, you do not beat a child and ask him not to cry
As an elder, I took a long look at the matter and decided to write you to offer a piece of advise which though is completely unsolicited for. And I am doing this because my people say that "An elder does not sit at home and watch a she-goat deliver with ropes round her neck."
I want to advise that the honourable minister kindly withdraws the threat to sack resident doctors, engage them in a dialogue through extraordinary means and find a quick solution to the reasons why they went on strike in the first place.
That, to me, is what can help this matter at this stage
I thank you for reading and do kindly accept the assurances of my highest regards
Dr Jerry -- the First Oguzie: JP
Abuja