The Federal Government has made it known yesterday that the suspension of Residency Training Programme and disallowing public hospitals from appointing new doctors in Nigeria is for the benefit of every Nigerian.
Punch reports that Senator Pius Anyim, who is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said this at a meeting with the members of the Presidential Committee of experts on inter- professional relationship in the public health sector and top policy makers of the Federal Government. The committee members who are burdened with the need to find solutions to all the seasonal challenges and the unstable dangerous situations affecting the public sector in the country were led by a former SGF, Dr. Yayale Ahmed. However Anyim explained to the group that the president has given an order which everyone must abide by until the committee has reached a final conclusion.
He said: "Even as we try to discuss with members of the Nigerian Medical Association, and other unions in the sector, we would have difficulty to have much to do except to wait for the report of this committee.
"Presently, Mr. President had directed that there should be no fresh intake of doctors into any public hospitals. He had as well, directed that Residency Training Programme should be suspended. "The idea is that, until we find a lasting solution to this sector, everything should be on hold. The expectations are squarely on your committee to provide the solution.
"We have insisted that we could not re open negotiations with them when this committee is yet at work. I do recalled that one of the concerns they shared was that they did not know when the committee's work would end.
"For them, they thought it was a ploy on the part of the government simply to drag its feet, on their demands. With your visit today, it is clear , it is evident, it is in fact right on the table, that your committee is at work, it is marching step by step with due diligence to arriving at a lasting solution to all the challenges in the sector."
The SGF however made it known that President Goodluck Jonathan wants the betterment of the health sector, hence the reason why he deemed it fit to consult the group so as to resolve all the mammoth challenges that pride themselves in the nation's health sector. It would be recalled that Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on July 1 embarked on a nationwide strike , which led to a new injunction from president Jonathan who ordered the sack of all resident doctors in Nigeria, directing the suspension of all Residency Training Programme and the hiring of part-time medical officers to replace the doctors.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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