Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike from April 1, if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands.
A communiqué issued on Sunday in Abuja at the end of NARD’s extraordinary National Executive Council, NEC, Meeting and signed by Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, NARD President, Jerry Isogun, Secretary-General, and Dotun Osikoya, Publicity and Social Secretary, said the NEC had agreed that it would proceed on a total and indefinite strike by 8.am on April 1, if immediate payment of all salaries owed to all house officers were not paid before the end of March 31.
NARD demanded a review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of all health workers’ consolidated basic salaries, and payment of outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance upward. They further called for abolishment of exorbitant bench fees being paid by members on outside postings in all training institutions across the country.
NARD said that payment of salary shortfalls of 2014, 2015 and 2016 to members in all federal institutions, including state-owned ones as earlier agreed with NARD, must be made.
“There must be payment of death in service insurance for all health workers who died due to COVID-19 infection and other infectious diseases.
“There should be universal domestication and implementation of the 2017 MRTA by all federal and state-owned training institutions,” it added.
This, according to the association, is to ensure proper funding of residency training in the country as stipulated by the act.
NARD further called for the commencement of employment into all government-owned hospitals to improve service delivery to Nigerians and enhance residency training to curb brain drain in the health sector.
The association also sought for the review of the act regulating postgraduate medical training in Nigeria in line with international best practices.
