Nigeria’s resident doctors suspend indefinite nationwide strike action

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have announced the immediate suspension of the nationwide strike action they embarked on to press for their increased salaries and better working conditions with the Federal Government.

Emeka Orji, the president of the Association confirmed that the strike was suspended on Friday night, announcing that the resident doctors would resume work at 8 am Nigerian time on Saturday.

The association of medical doctors in the government-owned hospitals embarked on an indefinite strike on July 26 over the failure of the government to meet the demands of its members.

Some of the demands include payment of the 2023 medical residency training fund (MRTF); immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement and upward review of the consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS).

Others are payment of outstanding arrears of consequential adjustment, hazard and skipping allowance.

The association of medical doctors are also agitating for the recruitment of more hands to replace doctors who have moved out of Nigeria and those who have died while in service.

“Our members are suffering. Nigerians are suffering too. When you don’t have the right number of doctors in the hospital, there is no way it is not going to affect the healthcare service delivery system. And nobody has come out to tell us that what we are saying is not true,” he maintained.

“The government on its own set up a ministerial committee that came up with a guideline since February this year, why hasn’t that guideline been circularised?” he asked.

Earlier, the union’s executive had met with senators led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who assured them that the government will do the needful to end the industrial action.