The National Association of Resident Doctors threatens to embark on a nationwide strike on April 1, 2021 over “poor welfare packages and unpaid wages,” among other demands. This followed the expiration of the 60-day ultimatum given to the Federal Government on January 25 for the payment of salary arrears of House officers across the country and to review hazard allowance, among other demands.The body maintained that the only way the strike could be averted is payment of salaries owed House officers by March 31, including that of March, irrespective of quota system.
This was contained in a communiqué signed by the NARD President, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, after the extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on Sunday in Abuja.
Recall that in an internal memo dated March 18, 2021, titled, ‘Impending Strike Action,’ made available to PUNCH HealthWise, NARD called on its members to prepare for an indefinite nationwide strike from March 31, 2021.
According to this recent notice, “The NEC observed that her earlier ultimatum given to the Federal Government during the January 2021 NEC meeting in Owerri will expire by 12 midnight on the 31st of March 2021 with no significant achievement.
“The NEC reiterated her full support for the Central Placement of House Officers. Nevertheless, they decried the agony our members have been made to pass through for three months now without salaries despite uninterrupted service delivery to the nation.
“This is due to the inefficiency of the Registrar of MDCN in handling the processes of central placement of House Officers as approved by the Federal Executive Council since 2017.
“The NEC bemoaned the suffering of some of our members in GIFMIS platform who have not been paid salaries for four months now due to delay in biometric capturing by IPPIS department.
“They lamented the inhumane treatment being meted on our members in some State Tertiary Institutions like ABSUTH being owed twenty months salaries, IMSUTH five months salaries and UNIMEDTH three months salaries.
“The NEC also observed that despite the three-month window given to the Federal Government to review the hazard allowance of health workers, the hazard allowance has remained a paltry sum of five thousand naira monthly.
“The NEC noted that despite the efforts of NARD, they erroneously paid 2020 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to non-resident Doctors is yet to be addressed. Also, 2019, some of 2020 and 2021 MRIF are yet to be paid,” Okhuaihesuyi stated.
The NARD president also said there’s a need to review certain acts in the medical profession.
“We want immediate review of the Act regulating Postgraduate Medical Training in Nigeria in line with International best practices to remove the unnecessary rigors in Residency Training in Nigeria, one of the factors attributed to brain drain in the health sector.
“We also want immediate commencement of employment into all government- owned hospitals to improve service delivery to Nigerians, enhance residency training and curb the attendant brain drain in the health sector.
“We also demanded the reintroduction of medical super salary structure and specialist allowance for all doctors as already approved for some other health workers. This will go a long way in ensuring peace in the health sector,” Okhuaihesuyi noted.
source: Punch
