The Media Advocacy West Africa Foundation (MAWA – Foundation) condemns in strong terms Mr. Muhammadu Buhari’s government directive to the Management officials of federal tertiary hospitals across the country to replace striking doctors with Corps Members.
Mr. Osagie Ehanire, the minister of health, justifying government action, said it is high time well-meaning medical professionals closed ranks and confront the common enemy, which is the COVID-19 pandemic threatening mankind.
This is even as the Buhari government is yet to explain how it spent the sum of N30.5 billion it claimed to have spent on the coronavirus prevention in four months.
It is regrettable that at a time when countries of the world are making a huge investment in the health sector following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic and the search to find its cure, the Buhari government is sacking doctors for demanding a better working condition.
It is either the Buhari government does not know that the collapsed health system in Nigerian is huge, or he chooses to pretend all is well.
At the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, the Nigerian state was brought to her kneels solely because there are no adequate doctors and health facilities to help in addressing the pandemic.
Is the Buhari government aware that many rich persons who contracted the coronavirus did not go to the public hospitals but rather opted for private hospitals because public hospitals are best described as mortuaries where deaths are certified?
Nigerians thought that the outbreak of the pandemic presents a compelling reason for the Buhari government to make a huge investment in health, unfortunately, we were wrong.
How does the Buhari government identify a national priority, how did the government conclude that replacing striking doctors with corps members is the solution to addressing a huge decay in the country’s health sector?
MAWA Foundation recalls that in the 2020 revised budget, Buhari approved N27.7 billion for the renovation of the National Assembly complex, while he reduced the health budget from N44.4 billion to N25.5 billion.
Worse still, a country that says all revenues sources have been blocked as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and is borrowing loans for infrastructure, approved N27 billion for National Assembly renovation.
What manner of a government will sack its country doctors and replace them with corps members for asking the government to invest in health sector for the welfare of its citizens?
We call on the Buhari government to immediately rescind the decision of sacking the striking doctors.
– Audu Liberty Oseni
National Coordinator, MAWA Foundation.
