Fresh Strike Looms As Resident Doctors Write Minister

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government does not meet its demands.

NARD’s president, Dr Emeka Innocent Orji, wrote to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, saying the processes for the strike would commence if the issues are not looked into before its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting slated for January 24, 2023.

The letter read in part, “Sir, our January 2023 National Executive Council meeting has been scheduled for January 24th to 28th, 2023, and we can confirm very clearly feelers that if these issues are not sorted out before that meeting, our members will likely give us a mandate to immediately kick-start processes that will lead to a nationwide industrial disharmony in the health sector.”

NARD had six months ago asked the Federal Government to address issues affecting its members, including an upward review of payments to the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), overdue payment of arrears of the new hazard allowance, non-payment of 2014, 2015 and 2016 arrears and non-payment of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage to some of its members.

Other issues include the delay in the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), salary arrears of its members in state tertiary health institutions running into several months, including Abia, Imo, Ondo, Ekiti and Gombe States, and non-domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA) in most states across the federation.

While acknowledging efforts of the government in resolving some of the issues previously raised, the association, however, said many of them remain largely unresolved and have now become sources of serious nationwide agitation in the health sector.

NARD said the major ones are; “Omitted 2020 MRTF payment, irregularities in the new MRTF circular inconsistent with the Medical Residency Training Act, existing collective bargaining agreements and current economic realities and review of CONMESS salary structure.”

It added, “Sir, we know how critical this period is and the chaos that will ensue if the government does not take steps to prevent this from happening, and so we humbly implore you to use your good office to resolve these issues before our January NEC meeting. Sir, we trust in your fatherly disposition and believe that you will come to our aid and save this nation from this imminent industrial disharmony.”

NARD copied the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary to the Government of Federation and Ministers of Labour and Finance as well as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum ( NGF), among others, in the letter.