By Beauty John, LAFIA
The Management of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) in Nasarawa state has called on resident doctors in the healthcare facility to shelve their planned strike action.
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Specialist hospital, Dr Ikrama Hassan made this appeal during a press briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Center Lafia, Monday.
The CMD, disappointed by the association’s decision to shutdown the hospital, pointed that it would be catastrophic and could result to loss of lives.
“Our experience from the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic response shows that full scale shutdown would result in much more available death from treatable emergencies than desired.
According to him, there is no need to embark on any form of strike when the hospital management has been open to dialogue and is making arrangements to meet most of their demands.
Dr Hassan stated that, adequate training and personal protective equipments have been procured for staff protection.
“The entire hospital workforce was trained on COVID-19, during the first wave. This was also repeated in late November/ early December 2020.
The hospital procured adequate face masks/face shields that could last months. There were also cloth masks for patients and their relations,” he said.
The CMD, while stating that the welfare of the doctors is paramount to the management of the hospital, assured residents of the state that the hospital will continue to be open to rendering health care services to those in need.
Prompt News recalls that the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Nasarawa State chapter, had earlier, directed its members to commence a three-day warning strike starting Monday, February 08, 2021.
The association accused the CMD of singlehandedly suspending their training programme and victimizing their members for taking steps to protect themselves and the general public from the deadly COVID-19 infection.
Some of the demands made were: unconditionally and immediate reversal of the suspension of Residency Training Programme in DASH, provision of adequate personal protective equipments for staff, reinstatement of members who are on supernumerary postings and have been recalled from other training institutions, among others.
