Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha, and Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, have called on striking resident doctors to sheathe their swords, as their demands would be settled.
Mustapha, who is also chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee, PSC, on COVID-19, at the national briefing of the PSC in Abuja, yesterday, also said that Nigeria is expecting 52 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the second quarter of 2022.
On the striking doctors, the SGF said: “On the heels of Mr President’s intervention in the health sector, I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our Health Workers to consider the health situation in our country and call off their strike while government continues to look into all matters that will improve the system, processes and welfare.
”Minister of Health, Dr Ehanire, who spoke in the same vein said: “Last week, His Excellency, the President received the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association in audience and in his remarks called on doctors on strike to return to duty and for those contemplating it to opt for peaceful resolution, so as not to put the lives of citizens at risk.
“He reminded us that his administration has a sound track record of paying debts, even such debts as inherited from, or ignored by preceding administrations.
Resident doctors are, therefore, assured from the highest authority in the land that all debts will be settled, when they are verified and validated.
“With this, I call on striking doctors to put an end to their industrial action immediately and return to work.
Nigeria has been lucky with the relatively low impact of COVID-19 so far, and we need to keep our preparedness optimal. We cannot afford to stretch our luck too far.
Nigeria expects 52m doses of vaccines soon — FG
On the vaccines, the SGF, said: “The most potent way of getting out of this situation is through vaccines, which science and research have presented to us. I call on every eligible person to come out and be vaccinated.
“There are various choices now. We have AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and we expect Pfizer to be delivered very soon. There will be enough vaccines to go round soon.
By the second quarter of 2022, we would have received about 52 million doses of the vaccines,” he said.
On travels, he said: “To ease travels for fully vaccinated Nigerians, we are exploring the principles of reciprocity between Nigeria and other nations.
“For the time being, Nigerians are advised to always carry their vaccination card details or barcode on their electronic devices for easy access, especially for those travelling outside the country.”
Credit: Vanguard
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