Nigerian doctors walk off the job again. Overstretched and underpaid, many have left for overseas

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors is on strike again, demanding better pay and working conditions for its members. The doctors decided after their meeting on Tuesday night to embark on a “total and indefinite strike,” according to Dr. Innocent Orji, the association’s president. Strikes are common in Nigerian public hospitals, which have suffered chronic underfunding. The latest is caused by the government’s failure to reach agreement with the doctors on their demands, which include the payment of salary in arrears and increases in their rate of pay.  “We are having a massive brain drain in the health sector … it has never been this bad,” Dr. Orji said.