The Nigerian government says the ongoing evaluation of the Residency Training Programme is still on despite its decision to lift the suspension of the programme and recall disengaged resident doctors.
A Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, told reporters in Abuja on Friday that the government was committed to providing a better health care delivery system to Nigerian.
He said: “Recalling the resident doctors should not be viewed as a change of position on the part of the Federal Government”.
The government on Friday lifted the suspension of the training programme in all federal hospitals with effect from Thursday, August 28, 2014 and reinstated all resident doctors that were disengaged as a result of the suspension with effect from the same date.
Accordingly, all Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of the training centres were directed to issue letters of reinstatement to the resident doctors to enable them resume work immediately.
The Federal Government urged the resident doctors to see the magnanimity of government in reinstating them as a goodwill gesture to engender greater commitment and dedication to their duties.
The suspension of the Residency Training Programme in all Federal Government hospitals was declared while the strike embarked on the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, which started on July 1, was still ongoing, a situation that the government said had resulted in untold hardship on innocent members of the society who were in need of medical care.
