“Resident Doctors Suspend Nationwide Strike Following Government Commitment”

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has opted to suspend its indefinite nationwide strike that was initiated on July 26, 2023.

Consequently, the association has issued directives to its members nationwide, requiring them to resume their duties starting from 8 am on Saturday, August 12. Within a span of two weeks, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the association will assess the advancements achieved in the execution of their demands.

Among the demands of NARD were the revision of their Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), disbursement of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), issuance of a directive by the Federal Ministry of Health for the replacement of departed doctors and nurses with new recruits, payment of overdue salaries, enhancement of hazard allowance by state governments, and more.

It is noteworthy that the resident doctors had initially planned to stage protests in front of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, as well as all federal and state tertiary healthcare institutions across the country.However, due to the involvement of Dr. Salma Anas, the Special Adviser to the President on Health, along with the leadership of the National Assembly, the doctors decided to put the protests on hold.

This decision was reached on Wednesday, August 10, 2023.Following comprehensive discussions, the NEC of NARD made the determination to temporarily suspend the strike for a period of two weeks. After this duration, they will reconvene to evaluate the progress that has been accomplished.

In an interaction with The Nation, Dr. Emeka Orji, the President of NARD, expounded that the suspension was a consequence of the government’s initiation of measures to address some of their demands.

One such milestone was the authorization of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF).In his words, “We have officially suspended the strike.

Commencement of work is slated for 8 am tomorrow (Saturday). We are going to reassess the strides made within the next 2 weeks.”Earlier this week, we received interventions from officials at the Presidential Villa, and on the same day, the Senate President convened a meeting with us. During these engagements, the government requested 24 hours to address our pressing concerns; essentially, they sought time to demonstrate their commitment.”We’ve accorded them this time frame and have observed their proactive steps towards our immediate concerns.

The Medical Residency Training Fund for the year 2023 has secured approval. Furthermore, the circular pertaining to one-to-one replacements is of significant importance since it addresses our current manpower deficit; this is also in progress.”