After years of deliberations, empty promises, unfulfilled MOUs, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) embarked on a total and indefinite strike starting on Monday, 4th September, 2017.

The reasons for the strike have lingered since 2013 and this particular strike was totally avoidable. Are you aware that some Resident Doctors have not received some months' salaries from last year? Are you aware that from January to April this year, most Resident Doctors received only fractions of their salaries? Are you aware that most Resident Doctors are owed promotional arrears spanning years?

Are you aware that these Resident Doctors have families, relatives, dependants and countless financial responsibilities including bearing most of the cost of their specialist training?

Are you aware that doctors in Nigeria are leaving in droves to the UK, US, Middle East due to poor remuneration?

As citizens, I think it is time to tell the government of the day the hard truth. Do the right thing. A labourer deserves his wages. The Resident Doctors are the bulk of the workforce in our tertiary health institutions and keeping them motivated will help stem the steep decline in our health sector. Do the right thing. Pay your workers what is due them.

The blame game will not cut it. The name-calling will not cut it. Only doing the right thing will solve this problem once and for all.

Most Resident Doctors I know hate the word 'strike' because it truncates our training and visits untold hardship on our patients. Unfortunately, it appears to be the only language the government understands.

During strikes, while asking for his due, the doctor is demonized by the public as 'callous', 'inhuman' and 'forgetful of his Hippocratic oath'. Yet, doctors are human. Doctors pay rent and buy food, not with their stethoscope, but with money. Doctors support families and pay school fees, not with their stethoscope, but with money. Doctors fall sick and pay hospital bills with money.

This is the time to save the Nigerian health sector. This is the time to make the health of Nigerians a priority. This is the time to do the right thing. Not in 2019. Now.

© Dr. Kelvin Alaneme, 2017.