Lagos lawmaker commends NARD over suspension of strike

The Chairman, House Committee on Health Services of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Olusegun Olulade has commended the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) for calling off its nationwide strike it embarked on few weeks ago.

Olulade, who is representing Epe Constituency II, also applauded the federal government for showing concern by not allowing the strike to linger on and ensuring that the Association calls off the strike which took off on Monday, September 4, 2017.

The lawmaker, who stated this on Thursday, while speaking with some health workers at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), noted that the role of medical Doctors can never be over-emphasized, just as he described the strike the strike as a great loss that is not quantifiable since the value of human life is not measurable.

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While describing the strike as unfortunate, given its direct and indirect effects on patients, he blamed the past government under the Peoples Democratic Party for being insincere in its agreements with the Association.

Olulade, who commended the Association for reaching a truce with the federal government, said “it would have been a terrible situation if the strike continues because there won’t be anyone to attend to patients in the hospitals. Therefore, I am very happy that an agreement has been reached which eventually led to the suspension of the strike.

“I want to commend the leadership and members of NARD for calling off this strike; no one would have prayed for the strike to continue because patients in the government owned hospitals will be at the receiving end and this will be very unfair,” he said.

Speaking further, the lawmaker pointed out that the federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has a duty to monitor the implementation of agreements, adding that “it is very important for it to be able to do so.

“I want to believe that the ministry, within its ability and resources available is monitoring the implementation of agreements but it is not as effective as it should be. The monitoring unit of the ministry in the Trade Union Industrial Relation (TUSIR) department should be strengthened so that there will be early signals when there is a threat to industrial peace,” Olulade added.