The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Innocent Ujah, has called on the Federal Government to start responding early to the demands of health workers and not wait until strike is declared before doing the needful.
Ujah, a former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, stated this in a chat with the NewsGate Magazine,  the
Government, he said, should have responded to the 14-day strike notice given by the resident doctors.

Ujah was reacting to the nationwide strike commenced by the National Association of Resident Doctors on Monday after the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum given to the government.
The NMA president said a strike is not good for the health sector especially now that the country is battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ujah told our correspondent that the government should be proactive and not wait until health workers resort to strike before responding to their demands.

The NMA president urged the government to do the needful, stressing that the strike if not called off would impact negatively on the ongoing fight against COVID-19 in the country.

He said, “The government has to respond appropriately. The government should not wait until a strike is declared before responding to the demands of health workers. It is not very nice.
“There are so many promises that have been made by the government to health workers and they are yet to be fulfilled.
“So, the government should do the needful. A strike is not a very palatable thing for health workers.

“Government should play its role and ensure that the strike is called off. We don’t want any strike now because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Government should stop reneging on its promises. I think that is the issue. Although, some are being sorted out like the issue of hazard allowance.

“The government should be proactive in its response. I know there are challenges, but the government must be proactive. If the government makes a promise and fails to fulfil it, what does the government expect them to do?”
Ujah said that many that health workers are putting their lives on the line at this critical period of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that what the government should do is motivate them.

“Some of them have contracted the disease; some of them have not been with their families for some time, it is like wartime.
“I believe the government would appropriately respond to the needs of NARD so that the strike action would be called off.

“There should be no strike at this time”, he said.
The NMA president also urged the government to ensure that adequate personal protective equipment is provided for health workers