ANOTHER industrial action looms in Nigeria’s health sector as members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have threatened to embark on a nationwide industrial action as the govenrment is ignoring their warning letter on the strike action.
NARD President, Emeka Orji, in a telephone interview with News point Nigeria, said that the association does not desire to down its tools, knowing its implication for the health sector, but could be forced to do so as the government is yet to respond to their warning letter on the strike action.
“If the government refused to reply our letter or address our demands before January 28 when the association will end it National Executive Council meeting, we will have no choice but go on strike,” he added.
“We have been restraining ourselves as their leaders and that is exactly what we stipulated in the letter,
“The association is appealing to well-meaning Nigerians including the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal and the Director General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze to intervene and save the looming industrial action”, he pleaded.
According to president, some of the unresolved issues include the irregularities in the new circular on an upward review of the medical residency training fund, non-payment of outstanding arrears of the new hazard allowance, as well as the non-payment of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage to some of its members.
Others are; salary arrears of 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.
News Point Nigeria reports that, the aggrieved doctors issued an ultimatum to the Federal Government six months ago on account of lingering unresolved issues affecting our members, including the irregularities in the new circular on the upward review of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), outstanding payment of the arrears of the new hazard allowance, non-payment of the skipping arrears for 2014, 2015 and 2016, non-payment of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage to some of our members, and delay in the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure(CONMESS).
