The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared that its members would not return to work until the Federal Government fully meets all 19 of their outstanding demands.
NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, in a statement released on Monday, insisted that none of the issues that led to the ongoing nationwide strike had received adequate attention from the government.
Suleiman was reacting to a statement from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which announced plans to release ₦11.9 billion for doctors’ arrears and other welfare packages. The ministry said it was working with the Federal Ministry of Finance to transfer ₦21.3 billion to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) account for health workers, while ₦11.9 billion and ₦10.6 billion were allocated for related payments.
The ministry added that the Federal Government was addressing workforce shortages by recruiting more healthcare professionals and maintaining engagements with unions such as NARD, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
However, the NARD president said the association was unaware of any release of ₦11.9 billion, adding that the payment of 25/35 per cent arrears affected the entire health sector, not resident doctors alone.
He said: “Based on the ministry’s progress report, one or two out of 19 is a very poor performance score. The strike will continue until all demands are fully addressed.”
Resident doctors began the nationwide strike on November 1, following the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to resolve their long-standing welfare concerns.
