The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Friday urged the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to call off its ongoing strike and embrace dialogue.
Abubakar made the call during the opening ceremony of the 20th Conference of the National Pediatric Surgeons of Nigeria (APSON) in Sokoto.
Residents doctors had on August 1 embarked on strike over unpaid allowances, among others.
The NARD had also asked its members to continue with the strike despite an order by the National Industrial Court asking them to resume work.
The Sultan, however, advised the doctors to involve 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 had to do with saving lives of citizens.
Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal said his government had prioritised the health sector in recognition that a healthy population is always productive.
Represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ali Inname, Tambuwal said his administration was building a teaching hospital, three premier hospitals in the three senatorial districts of the state to render tertiary health care delivery to the people.
He added that some general hospitals in the state had also been upgraded in order to provide better healthcare services.
