There Is growing anxiety among the populace as the indefinite strike embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) nears two weeks amid the loss of lives from the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A report by the Nations newspaper revealed that a public health expert yesterday warned of high casualty figures if the strike continues, while an official of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) hinted, also yesterday, that its members might join their NARD counterparts in the strike.
The last few days have witnessed the death of many prominent people from the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic while more than 816 deaths have been recorded from cholera in 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory since January.
The states affected by the cholera outbreak include Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Cross River, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, Adamawa, Katsina and Borno.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) yesterday has urged the resident doctors to call off their industrial action. So also did the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, which blasted the striking doctors, saying that their action is unwarranted.
A public health physician, Dr Rotimi Adesanya, warned yesterday that the country could record an unprecedented number of deaths with the prevailing situation, particularly if there was something to the hint that NMA might join their NARD counterparts in downing tools.
In a telephone chat with the nation correspondent, Adesanya said:
“We don’t need a soothsayer to tell us the implication.
“The implication is that putting it in a lay man’s term, many people will die because daily, there are people that are having life-threatening diseases and the doctors are the ones that will help.
“These are the categories of doctors that are on strike. They are specialists. All the cases that cannot be handled at the primary and secondary levels are the ones taking care of them.