Why We Are Shelving Our Planned Strike –Resident Doctors

Residents Doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has shelved its planned strike.

NARD President, Dr Innocent Orji, who spoke to NAN in Lagos, also gave reasons why the body decided to stop action.

According to him, it is both in the national interest and also in view of the fact of ongoing negotiations with necessary government bodies on the matter.

“The industrial action has been shelved for now as negotiations are ongoing with necessary government bodies to meet the demands of the association.

“The National Executive Council (NEC) of the association has mandated the National Officers Committee to engage the Federal Government further on issues already outlined and revert back to it if the need arises.

“We took this decision in public interest and peculiarities of the moment.”

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It will be recalled that on January 11, the association, in  a letter to the Federal Government through the Ministers of Health and Labour and Employment and other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) spoken about lingering and unresolved issues between the association and the federal government.

In the letter titled: “Imminent Nationwide Industrial Disharmony in Health Sector: A Matter of Urgent Administrative Importance”, the resident doctors said there were lingering unresolved issues affecting their members.

Mother and child certain to be affected by any resident doctors strike

It added that it would not hesitate to embark on strike, should those issues remain unresolved.

The body of resident doctors mentioned what it described as irregularities in the new circular on upward review of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), outstanding payment of the arrears of the new hazard allowance and non-payment of the skipping arrears for 2014, 2015 and 2016.

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Other issues it mentioned include the non-payment of the consequential adjustment of minimum wage to some of its members, delay in the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), salary arrears of its members in State Tertiary Health Institutions running into several months, including Abia, Imo, Ondo, Ekiti and Gombe States.

“We sincerely appreciate the efforts of government through its MDAs in resolving some of the issues raised.

“However, many of them remain largely unresolved and have now become sources of serious nationwide agitation threatening industrial peace and harmony in the health sector”