Resident doctors begin indefinite strike

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), on Tuesday night, declared an indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to meet its demands.

It would be recalled that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, met with the leadership of NARD on Monday, where he pleaded with them to shelve the planned strike.

Abbas urged the resident doctors to give him two weeks and allow him meet with President Bola Tinubu on the association’s demands.

However, NARD President, Dr. Emeka Orji, said the decision reached at the end of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Lagos on Tuesday was for its members to withdraw their services by Wednesday morning, July 26, 2023.

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According to him, their demands include 200 per cent salary increment, replacement of doctors who have resigned, and payment of the 2023 residency training allowance

He said: “NARD just declared a total and indefinite strike action. Major demands are immediate payment of the 2023 MRTF, immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement, payment of skipping arrears, upward review of CONMESS in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS.

“Others are payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum to the omitted doctors reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by MDCN, payment of MRTF, new hazard allowance, skipping and implementation of corrected CONMESS in State Tertiary Health Institutions, payment of omitted hazard allowance arrears.”

The Star