Resident Doctors Threaten Nationwide Strike
Tamarauemi Ebimini
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to go on a nationwide strike if the federal government does not meet its demands.
This was just as the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) yesterday disclosed that more than 150 nurses resigned their appointments with the tertiary hospital within the last three years.
The association in a letter to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, signed by its president, Dr. Emeka Innocent Orji, said processes for the strike would commence if the issues were not addressed before its January 2023 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting slated for January 24 to 28.
The letter read in part, “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 earlier issued an ultimatum to the federal government six months ago on account of lingering unresolved issues affecting its members, including the irregularities in the new circular on an 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, and non-payment of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage to some of its members.
Other issues in contention included 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 lauding efforts of the government through its ministries, departments and agencies in resolving some of the issues raised, the association, however, said many of them remain largely unresolved and have now become sources of serious nationwide agitation threatening industrial peace and harmony in the health sector.
Meanwhile, LASUTH has disclosed that more than 150 nurses resigned their appointments with the tertiary hospital within the last three years.
The Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, said this during a news conference in Lagos.
Fabamwo said the situation arose as a result of health workers relocating abroad to practice, noting that the exit replacement strategy of the government had, however, ensured that operations weren’t disrupted at the hospital.
