Health

The Federal Government said it has invoked the “No work no pay” rule as contained in Section 43 of the Labour Act on striking doctors. Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said the position of the government has been communicated to the leadership of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). According to Ngige who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, an employer has every right to replace an employee who abandons their duties, especially as it pertains to essential services. “He will also withdraw your money and use it to pay those he has acquired during the period you were away,” he said. “If you go to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles at work, it guarantees a worker the right to strike but it has consequences”. He said, “Next week, I’ll escalate this issue because reconciliation has failed.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday recorded 747 fresh cases of COVID-19 infections as the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic continued to ravage Nigeria. The health agency which revealed this on its verified website on Thursday morning stated that the 747 new cases were the highest in any single day in the last five months, with four COVID-19 related deaths recorded. NCDC said the new infection figure has raised Nigeria’s total infection number to 176,011 while the fatality toll now stands at 2,167. It disclosed that Lagos state, the epicentre of COVID-19 in Nigeria, recorded 488 followed by Akwa Ibom with 121 cases, Oyo 29, rivers 25, and Ogun 15. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kaduna recorded 13 each; Kwara 11; Ekiti and Osun reported 10 each; Edo had six, Abia had three, Anambra recorded two and Plateau had a single case.

Some resident doctors in Bayelsa state have joined their counterparts to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike. The resident doctors of two teaching hospitals in the state said they are complying with the directive issued by the leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). President of NARD at the Federal Medical Centre (FCM), in Yenogoa Dr. Divine Irole, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that members of the association totally complied with the directives and are awaiting further instructions from the national leadership of the union. According to Dr. Irole, They have withdrawn their services in compliance with a directive from the national leadership.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has stated that the country has fully entered the third wave of the pandemic as it recorded 11 fatalities, 444 new cases and 32 Delta Variant Cases confirmed in Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Cross River, Oyo states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This has taken the death toll in the country to 2,160. The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, made the disclosure about the B.1.617.2. (Delta) variant during the resumed briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee on Monday in Abuja.

Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, the Executive Chairman of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) announced that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has donated 1.5 million dosages of cholera vaccine to Bauchi State during the kick-off of the vaccination exercise in the state. He stated that the WHO donated 1.5 million dosages of vaccine to support the state’s response to cholera outbreaks.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) via a post on its Facebook page stated that the country has recorded the highest number of daily figures in months after recording 206 on Tuesday night and 146 on Monday, this tally has, therefore, has raised the total infection in the country to 169,884 and fatality toll at 2,128.