Despite the federal government’s threat to adopt the ‘no work, no pay’ policy, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced plans to embark on daily peaceful protest beginning Wednesday, August 9.
The association plans to picket the federal ministry of health, office of the head of civil service of the federation, and all the federal and state tertiary health institutions nationwide.
Notice of the protest is contained in a circular entitled ‘Notice of nationwide mass protests and picketing by NARD,’ and addressed to the permanent secretary of the federal ministry of health, Olufunso Adebiyi.
The circular issued after the national executive council of the association yesterday, August 5, was signed by its president and general secretary, Messrs Emeka Orji and Kelechi Chikezie.
“We wish to bring to your notice, the decision of the National Executive Council of NARD to embark on a daily peaceful protests and picketing of the Federal Ministry of Health, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, as well as all federal and state tertiary health institutions nationwide, with effect from Wednesday, August 9, 2023 by 10am.
“This has become necessary to press home our demands which have been largely neglected by our parent ministry and the Federal Government.
“We are pained that rather than make genuine and concerted efforts to resolve the challenges that led to the industrial action despite repeated ultimatums, our parent ministry and the Federal Government have chosen to demonise Nigerian resident doctors instead, after all their sacrifices and patriotism.
“We therefore resolved that it is time the whole world hears our side of the story – the decay and corruption in the health sector, as well as the neglect the public health institutions have suffered all these years that led to repeated industrial actions.
“We believe that the government still has time to genuinely address the issues at stake before Wednesday, 9th August 2023, or leave us with no other option,” the memo stated in part.
Recall that the FG had in a circular dated August 1, 2023, directed the chief medical directors and medical directors in the federal tertiary hospitals to invoke the ‘no work, no pay’ rule on the striking members of NARD.
In the letter addressed to the federal hospital chiefs dated August 1, 2023 and entitled ‘Re: Incessant strike action by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors: Implementation of ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy of the Federal Government’ the government frowned that the various meetings with the NARD leadership had proved abortive.
The letter signed by the director of hospital services in the federal ministry of health, Dr Andrew Noah, said in part: “The various conciliatory meetings by the federal ministry of health, federal ministry of labour and employment with government stakeholders, secretary to the government of the federation, and the national assembly have proved abortive.
“I am directed to inform you that the Federal Ministry of Health has instituted the policy of ‘No work, No Pay’ against the striking resident doctors in line with circular Ref. No.58598/8.1/II/182 dated June 22, 2016.
“I am further directed to request you to maintain an attendance register for all residents willing to work and furnish the ministry of such name on a monthly basis.”
Recall that the NARD has been at loggerheads with the federal government following the breakdown of negotiations over unmet unfulfilled demands.
The association demands 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.
