THE Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) says its members will not be embarking on industrial action.
The association’s President, Dr Innocent Orji, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“We took this decision in public interest and peculiarities of the moment.”
NAN reports that the association had on Jan. 11, written a letter to the Federal Government addressing the Ministers of Health and Labour and Employment and other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The letter was titled “Imminent Nationwide Industrial Disharmony in Health Sector: A Matter of Urgent Administrative Importance”.
In the letter, the resident doctors said there were lingering unresolved issues affecting their members and if those issues were not resolved before its NEC meeting between Jan. 24 and Jan. 28, there may be industrial action.
Those issues include irregularities in the new circular on upward review of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), outstanding payment of the arrears of the new hazard allowance and non-payment of the skipping arrears for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Also, non-payment of the consequential adjustment of minimum wage to some of its members, 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.
It also stated the non-domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA) in most states across the federation as one of the pending issues.
The letter read in part: “We sincerely appreciate the efforts of government through its MDAs in resolving some of the issues raised.
“However, many of them remain largely unresolved and have now become sources of serious nationwide agitation threatening industrial peace and harmony in the health sector.
“Sir, our January 2023 NEC meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 24 to 28, and we can confirm very clear feelers that if these issues are not sorted out before that meeting, our members will likely give us mandate to immediately kick-start processes that will lead to a nationwide industrial disharmony in the health sector.
“Sir, we know how critical this period is and the chaos that will ensue if government does not take steps to prevent this from happening, and so we humbly implore you to use your good offices to resolve these issues before our January NEC meeting.