Medical doctors under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme have been applauded for their sacrifices towards providing health services across the country.
The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative (CGGCI) gave the commendation in a statement on Tuesday, noting that the efforts of the young doctors amid an industrial action by their senior colleagues have saved millions of lives.
Recall that the strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have hampered access to quality health care, thus reducing quality of life.
The strike comes at a time the nation is grappling with the Delta variant and sudden surge in coronavirus cases and fatalities.
But for the selflessness of NYSC doctors especially in rural areas, Secretary-General of the group, Comrade Arthur Nwoke, said the situation would have been overwhelming.
According to Nwoke, this is an indication of NYSC’s relevance in the country’s socio-economic development at this critical point of our existence.
He added that the NYSC is sufficiently vital in the scheme of things in the country, as young Nigerians have in times too numerous to mention made tangible interventions in significant sectors of the economy.
While calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to extend their support to the scheme, the coalition advised those calling for its scrapping to have a rethink.
It, however, urged all relevant stakeholders in the public and private sectors to initiate policies and partnerships with the NYSC that would make its various interventions, such as this, more meaningful and in the country’s overall interest.
Read full statement below:
The recent strike by Resident Doctors in the country indeed put a strain on the already stretched health sector occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic with hospitals filled with patients seeking medical attention.
The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative is issuing this press statement in commendation of the laudable efforts of medical doctors under the National Youth Service Corps, which were relentless in bridging the gap through the provision of medical services across the country.
It is instructive to state that the intervention and display by the NYSC doctors indeed saved millions of lives across the country. This is undoubtedly commendable and an indication of the relevance of the NYSC in the country’s socio-economic development.
The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative is aware that NYSC doctors across the country were at their best in various government hospitals rendering services round the clock, especially in rural areas.
By this action, Nigerians must indeed realize that the NYSC scheme is relevant in this critical point of our existence. It is also expected that those who have been at the forefront for the scrapping of the NYSC ought to have a rethink and instead extend their support to the NYSC.
The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative is using this medium to commend the leadership of the NYSC for ensuring that NYSC doctors were at their best this period in saving lives by creating the enabling environment. We also congratulate the hundreds of NYSC doctors for this display of commitment to Nigeria and rising to the occasion when it matters most.
We wish to reiterate further that the NYSC is sufficiently critical in the scheme of things in Nigeria, as youth corpers have in times too numerous to mention made tangible interventions in critical sectors of the economy such as health education and agriculture.
It is on record that corp members have been outstanding the schools across the country with outstanding performances. Corp members have also been very useful in the agricultural sectors, contributing to our quest for food sufficiency in the country.
Therefore, if this is the case, those that have advanced cases of the scrapping of the NYSC should have a rethink by retracing their steps and lending their support to the NYSC.
The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative calls on all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to extend their support to the NYSC scheme as the necessity of now requires that the NYSC receives all the support it can get.
We also call on all relevant stakeholders in the country’s public and private sectors to initiate policies and partnerships with the NYSC that would make its various interventions, such as this, more meaningful and in the country’s overall interest.
The usefulness of the NYSC scheme in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. As such, as a people and as a country, we are duty-bound to make it work.
The Coalition for Good Governance commends the NYSC doctors for saving lives and encourages them to continue to render service to the country.