The Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has appealed to the striking National Association of Resident Doctors to call off their ongoing industrial action and embrace dialogue.
Sultan Abubakar made the call during the opening ceremony of the the 20th conference of the Pediatric Surgeons of Nigeria holding in Sokoto.
He said the striking doctor should also respect the court order that asked them to call off the strike.
He advised the striking doctors to engage elders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to engage the government in dialogue.
He said strike should be the last option in resolving industrial conflict especially for medical workers whose responsibility has to do with life of citizens.
Earlier, president of the Association of Pediatrician Surgeon of Nigeria, Professor Auwal Abubakar called on the federal government to established a specialised children hospital across the nation.
Mr. Abubakar said this has become necessary owing to the fact that children make up about fifty percent of the nation’s population with a demanding healthcare need.
He said at least the government can establish one specialised children hospital in each of the six geopolitical regions in the country.
He also want the government to invest in equipping the nation’s healthcare facilities to enable effective healthcare delivery which may help in reducing medical tourism.
The Pediatricians scientific conference is expected to addressed challenges such as the Anterior abdominal wall defects, Pediatrics malignancies; drawbacks and prospect as well as the impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric surgical practice in Nigeria .
