The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared a total and indefinite strike beginning Wednesday (today) following the breakdown of negotiations with the federal government.
The union said in a statement that it could no longer trust the government.
The association demanded immediate payment of the 2023 medical residency training fund (MRTF), release of the circular on one-for-one replacement, payment of skipping arrears, and upward review of consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS) in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS.
The other demands are payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum to the omitted doctors, reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), payment of MRTF, new hazard allowance, skipping and implementation of corrected CONMESS in state tertiary health institutions, and payment of omitted hazard allowance arrears.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had earlier in June met with the leadership of the union wherein he promised to resolve all areas of trade dispute with the resident doctors.
Recall also that in early July, NARD issued a two-week ultimatum to the federal government for the implementation of all its demands.
On Monday, July 24, the speaker of the house of representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, met with NARD to find a solution to the imminent strike.
Speaking at the meeting, Abbas asked the doctors to take advantage of the talks and bare their minds on “the issues at stake and suggest realistic solutions to them”.
