- Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors links strike resolution to circular release for clinical staff replacement and 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund payment
- Strike may end by August 12 if demands are met, following meetings with government officials, says NARD President
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has set the release of the circular for one-for-one clinical staff replacement and payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund as minimum conditions for calling off its indefinite strike, which began on July 26.
Dr Emeka Orji, National President of NARD, revealed this in an interview on Wednesday. Despite suspending the planned nationwide protest, Orji stated that the association gave the Federal Government 72 hours to meet some of its urgent demands before calling off the strike.
He said the union will decide whether to continue or end the strike by Friday, August 12.
The striking doctors had previously planned to launch a daily peaceful protest on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, if the government did not meet their demands.
Orji said;
We had a fruitful meeting yesterday (Tuesday) at the Villa and with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, so it will not be good to have that level of meeting and the next day we hit the streets to protest, it will look as if there is an ulterior motive behind our demands.
Our demands are germane because there is a shortage of doctors in our hospitals, so the few of us remaining are being overworked. How long are we going to continue like that? They have told us what they will do today (Wednesday), and tomorrow (Thursday), and we are hopeful they will do the needful. If they are able to do those things, then I am sure the National Executive Committee will give us the mandate to suspend the strike because we are very understanding.
The circular for one-for-one replacement is the first and the 2023 MRTF fund is the second one. If they are able to address them, we will appeal to our members to suspend the strike while we continue to negotiate for all the salary arrears, skipping arrears, and other things.
Orji said implementing the one-for-one replacement without extra expenses should not be difficult for the government.
The government has the list of those who have left and it is a matter of replacing them immediately and the new ones that are recruited are paid the salary you have budgeted to replace those who have left. So, it is not difficult to do. This is a thing that has been agreed to be done since February but nothing has been done about it, but we are hoping the government will do as agreed, he added.
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