Medical Doctors under the umbrella of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), have resolved to proceed on an indefinite nationwide strike beginning from Monday 7th of September 2020, to register their displeasure over unfair labour treatment by the government.
The industrial action, according to the doctors, was a result of inability of the Federal Government to attend to several issues of welfare, working conditions, remuneration as was raised by the doctors in their previous meetings with government representatives.
NARD President, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, in a statement, indicated that the decision for the indefinite strike was taken at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the association that ended in Abuja, on Friday.
He specifically mentioned that the reason for the strike borders on funding of residency training which was included in the revised 2020 national budget, failure of the federal government to procure group life insurance and death in service benefits for all health workers, as well as non-payment of COVID-19 inducement allowance for six months.
Other reasons are non-payment of the outstanding salary shortfall of 2014, 2015, 2016; non-implementation of medical residency training Act at state level, the non-implementation of appropriate salary structure, and the non-payment of owed salaries, among others.
The doctors also accused the Federal Government of being insincere in determining the revised hazard allowance for all health workers which was supposed to commence in September 2020.
He, however, insisted that NARD NEC has resolved that the strike will continue until the contentious issues are resolved. They also solicited the intervention of relevant stakeholders and appealed to Nigerians to bear with them during the period of industrial disharmony.
SUN NEWS
