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Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has directed heads of federal hospitals to immediately engage the services of Ad hoc doctors to augment the services of those available.
The directive followed the strike embarked on by resident doctors, who took the action over alleged failure of the federal government to meet their demands. One of their demands is the payment of arrears of salaries owed them by the government. The minister asked federal hospitals to employ the services of doctors, who are currently undergoing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, pending the resolution of the problem.
In a statement issued yesterday, Boade Akinola, spokesperson of the ministry, said the new directive was an effort to reduce the workload on consultants and NYSC doctors.
“The minister of health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has directed CMDs/MDs of federal hospitals to immediately engage the services of locum doctors to augment the services of consultants, NYSC doctors and doctors on internship pending the resolution of the on-going strike action by the resident doctors,” she said.
“This was contained in a circular Ref. No. C. 3132/Vol. V/116, of 5th September, 2017, addressed to all CMDs/MDs of federal tertiary health institutions across the country.
“This, according to the honourable minister, was an attempt to reduce the increased workload of consultants, NYSC doctors and house officers thereby preventing reduction in quality of service delivery to patients.”
