FG Reaches Truce With Resident Doctors Over Five-Day Warning Strike

A truce between the resident doctors and the federal government of Nigeria has been reached over the five-day warning strike embarked upon by the association.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on May 17, embarked on a five-day warning strike to press home its demands after a 14-day ultimatum to the government lapsed.

The demands of the doctors included an immediate increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 percent of their current gross salaries.

The doctors, worried by the situation, met with the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Health and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on Friday to deliberate on their demands.

A statement issued on Sunday by the Spokesman of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun, said a Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the end of a conciliation meeting convened by Ngige in his office.

“The Federal Government has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), geared towards halting the five-day nationwide warning strike of resident doctors,” the statement read.

“In conclusion, the meeting agreed that NARD officers are to present the outcome of the MOU to their members in an emergency meeting within 48 hours with a view to suspending the strike they embarked on last Wednesday, May 17, 2023.”

The meeting, the statement noted, resolved the issue of doctors omitted in the payment of Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustment and added that NARD should re-present the list on Monday, May 22 to the Ministry of Health, with annexes of the old submission and the same copied to the office of the Minister of Labour and Employment.

The resident doctors also expressed worry that their members in Abia State “have been on strike for several months for perennial non-payment of salaries.”

According to the statement, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) which took the matter to the National Council on Health (NCoH) in Abuja,  looked into the matter and asked the Abia State Government to pay up for good health delivery to the people.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that the Federal Government on Saturday, said it has plans to launch a passport home delivery service.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this at the opening of the Nigeria Immigration Service Passport Front Desk Office in Auchi, Edo State.