Resident Doctors Meet Over FG’s Failed Promise

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) said that the Federal Government has yet to satisfy all of the basic conditions agreed upon before the strike was called off.

NARD, on the other hand, said it will conduct its National Executive Council meeting next week to assess FG’s attempts to satisfy its demands and determine what to do next.

VerseNews gathered that NARD stopped its 17-day-old statewide indefinite strike, which began on July 26, 2023, on August 11, 2023, due to major steps taken by the government to fulfil its demands.

Dr. Emeka Orji, President of NARD, had stated that the issuing of the circular for one-for-one clinical staff replacement and payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund were basic criteria for the strike to be called off indefinitely.

Orji noted that the strike was called off after the Federal Government made considerable measures to satisfy the physicians’ requests.

However, in an interview with our journalist on Friday, Orji stated that there had been no definite outcome addressing the physicians’ requests.

According to Orji: “We have not seen the demands being met and we have asked around and we are being told that the process is still ongoing. Ultimately the two-week ultimatum expires today (Friday). So, we will likely call our NEC to brief them.

“The notice of the meeting should come out today (Friday) or tomorrow (Saturday).”

Orji added that not all Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors had submitted a list of health professionals to be replaced one-for-one at health facilities.

 “The government has asked CMDs and MDS to send the list regarding one-for-one replacement of health workers but not all of them have submitted the list.

“This directive was given a month ago and if all the lists have not been submitted by now, it means something is wrong somewhere.

“What they are asking from them is not what should take a month to supply. We consider some of our demands as urgent but as it stands, people are still leaving.

“Earlier in the week when we asked again, we learnt that not all CMDs and MDs have responded.

“On the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund, the payment started coming in last week but it is not completed yet, and it is very difficult to tell how many people have received it or not. It is the government that made the template,” he added

Previously, the Nigerian Medical Association requested that the Federal Government finalise steps to address all areas of dispute with resident doctors in the sake of industrial peace.

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria has also stated that if the Federal Government fails to accept its demands, it would go on strike on August 28, 2023.