Doctors go on strike as Covid cases surge

ABUJA: Resident doctors in Nigerian public hospitals began an indefinite strike yesterday over the delayed payment of salaries, the doctors’ union said, as the country faces rising Covid-19 infections.

Nigerian doctors frequently strike over poor conditions of service. Last year they walked out on their jobs three times over demands for an allowance for treating Covid patients.

Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (Nard), said the government had not reached out to the union since the stike started. Asked whether the strike would affect the Covid vaccination drive, Uyilawa: “Hunger is worse than Covid-19. We have also lost 19 members to Covid-19, with no death-in-service insurance.”.