By our reporter| Members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Thursday commenced an indefinite strike action across the country.
The commencement of the strike action by the aggrieved doctors followed the expiration of an ultimatum issued to the federal government last week.
NARD President, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, who announced the commencement of the nationwide strike during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, directed all resident doctors to join the strike immediately.
“The strike commenced 8am this morning, and we enjoin all resident doctors to start the strike immediately,” he said.
Nigeria’s labour and employment minister, Doctor Chris Ngige, had at a conciliatory meeting with the leaders of the union on Wednesday in Abuja appealed to the aggrieved medical practitioners to have a rethink and sheathe their sword, as the federal government was making efforts to ensure their demands were met.
But speaking on Thursday morning, the NARD president who led other leaders of the union to the discussion said they were not strange to the government’s proposal.
According to him, the government needs to take more responsibility, as the decision to go on strike was for the benefit of all healthcare workers in the country.
“We had a meeting with the Minister of Labour from 4pm till about 12am this morning; we insist that the implementation of what we wrote on the strike notice should be intimated immediately.
“We are not just doing this for resident doctors, we are doing this for all health workers … the government needs to be more responsible,” he stated.
The aggrieved doctors are demanding immediate payment of all salaries owed to all house officers, including March salaries (regardless of quota system) before the end of business on March 31.
They also demanded the immediate payment of all salary arrears, including March salaries for members in all Federal (GIFMIS platform) and State Tertiary Health Institutions across the country, especially ASUTH, IMSUTH, and UNIMEDTH.
They equally sought an upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, especially in state-owned-tertiary Institutions, amongst others.
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