Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has reminded striking health workers that they lack the right to intimidate and harass other health workers that are not engaged in the strike.
President of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Ugochukwu Chinaka, raised the alarm few days ago that members of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) have been going round harassing and intimidating doctors, forcing them to shut down the health facilities.
He said that some of them went as far as locking up some government health facilities to drive home their messags.
Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, in a statement, however, warned the aggrieved JOHESU members against taking law into their hands by adoption of violence to prove a point.
Adewole told them that the Federal Government would neither accept nor condone any act of irresponsibility and disobedience to constituted authorities.
He thus directed that all locked health facilities be reopen with immediate effect, to enable Nigerians access health care services, while negotiations with JOHESU representatives continue.
The minister further direct all heads of medical institutions to provide adequate security for all health care workers in their respective facilities and report anyone found disturbing the peace in any health facility to law enforcement agencies.