The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, NARD, has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the Federal Government, FG, fails to meet their demands.
The NARD gave the FG a 21-day notice, stating that the resolution was reached by members at the end of the association’s extraordinary executive council.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, NARD’s President Dr. Muhammad Askira, said the ultimatum took effect from April 4.
Askira, on behalf of the group, listed some of the demands as payments of members’ salaries till date and appropriate placement of members in states and federal tertiary hospitals across the nation.
Others are reversal of sacked members in some hospitals as well as appropriate funding of residency training programme.
Askira, however, urged the government to adequately fund hospitals and upgrade facilities in public hospitals in line with international best practices, adding that some of their members in states tertiary hospitals in Osun, Imo, Ekiti, Abia and Kogi, among others, were owed three to eight months’ salary.
The President said, “NARD will no longer tolerate undue sack of resident doctors and demands immediate reversal of such, and urge governments to comply with the pension deductions act as amended in 2014.
“We urged the government to ensure appropriate and adequate remuneration of our members at hospitals.”
The president also added that upgrading public health facilities would curb medical tourism.
DAILY POST recalls that the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, had threatened that any health worker engaged in industrial disharmony would forfeit his salary.
In his reaction to the threat, the NARD’s President requested the minister to ascribe penalties for ‘work without pay’ before the penalty for ‘no work no pay.’
He said resident doctors would help politicians deliver democracy dividends, describing anybody that denied them their entitlement as an enemy of Nigerians.
Askira said, “My only concern is the situation whereby the government allows people to go on strike. Looking at our demands, they are solely the responsibilities of the government.
“At the moment, doctors in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Irrua and FMC, Owerri, have not been paid their December salaries.
”When a big man in Abuja is involved in an accident or whatsoever, we are the first to receive him; then why this maltreatment?,” he queried.
“Residents doctors work all day and night meeting the health needs of Nigerians that come to us for consultation.”
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