Breaking: Resident Doctors To Start Strike On Monday
By Emmanuel Awosika
Resident doctors in the country have threatened to embark on another strike action come September 7, if their demands are not met by the Federal Government.
This was contained in a statement released by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Friday.
The NARD, in its statement, said it was forced to commence another strike as the 21-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government expired on August 17, without meaningful action from the latter.
Some demands of the doctors include full implementation of residency funding and payment of COVID-19 allowance, hazard allowance, and salaries owed them for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
The NARD had declared an indefinite strike on June 15, which it later ended on June 22, following negotiations with the Federal Government and other stakeholders in the health sector.
However, the perceived lack of action on the part of the Federal Government is reportedly behind the NARD’s decision to start a new strike.
The NARD’s statement reads partly; “NEC resolved to proceed on indefinite nationwide strike action from Monday 7th of September 2020 by 8:00am until the following conditions are met; immediate payment of the Medical Residency Training funding to all her members as approved in the revised 2020 budget; provision of genuine Group life insurance and death in service benefits for all health workers.
“Payment of the outstanding April/May and June COVID-19 inducement allowance to all health workers; determination of the revised hazard allowance for all health workers as agreed in previous meetings with relevant stakeholders; immediate payment of the salary shortfalls of 2014, 2015 and 2016.
“Doctors working under the various tertiary health institutions to be placed on appropriate salary grade level and universal implementation of the Medical Residency Training Act of 2017 in all state tertiary health institutions; payment of all arrears owed our members in Federal and states tertiary health institutions, arising from the consequential adjustment of the National minimum wage,” the statement read in part.
