Strike: Doctors ultimatum expires, hold NEC meeting Friday

According to The PUNCH, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has changed its mind about the ultimatum it issued to the Federal Government by one week.
In order to allow for more discussion between the parties, particularly with the Federal Ministry of Finance, the association claimed to have changed its mind.
According to information obtained by our correspondent, the association plans to discuss the NARD ultimatum at an extraordinary National Executive Council meeting that will take place from Friday, August 19, to Sunday, August 21, 2022, at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in Ilorin, Kwara State.
If the physicians decide to engage in a strike, The PUNCH claims that no fewer than 78 federal and state healthcare facilities will be impacted.
At least 11,000 resident doctors are actively practicing throughout the nation.
The Federal Government had received a two-week deadline from the resident doctors on July 30, 2022, to fulfill all of the agreements it had with the association, or else the resident doctors would go on an indefinite strike.
NARD has made a number of demands, including the payment of the recently reviewed Medical Residency Training Fund, the quick implementation of the new hazard allowance, and the payment of arrears.
On Sunday, August 14, 2022, the deadline passed.
However, in a conversation with one of our reporters on Sunday, NARD President Dr. Dare Ishaya stated that the organization would announce its final choice on Saturday and notify the public on August 21, 2022.
Ishaya declared: “We have met with the Minister of State for Health, Joseph Ekumankama. We intimated him about the happenings and where we are. He promised to follow up with the hazard allowance and the Medical Residency Training Funds, and he pleaded that we should give him a chance to intervene. He asserted that he would be willing to follow up with the Ministry of Finance.
“On our part, we have to schedule a meeting for Friday (August 19) for our decision instead of Monday (today).
“Our association will never contemplate going on strike. We always want to see that all avenues available are exhausted, and if all the interactions fail to bring the necessary actions to solve the problems, that is when we resort to an ultimatum and eventually go on strike.
“We are actually doing our work and putting our lives on the line. There is no country in this world that, for seven months, a circular for increased allowance was released but we have not received the pay and no specific direction as to what exactly the fate is with the MRTF.”
Dr. Yusuf Alfa, the association’s publicity secretary, claimed that the change was necessary to allow for government intervention.
“The government can use the window to do the needful,” Alfa said.
According to Dr. Uche Ojinmah, the National President of the Nigerian Medical Association, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), was informed of NARD’s demand last week.
Ojinmah declared: “They said they would start payment in May, but nothing has been paid. Later, they said NARD had not expressly accepted the increased hazard allowance and then, NARD accepted the hazard allowance, yet, they didn’t pay again.
“It will be dishonest to the service of Nigerian doctors to say NARD should not go on strike, but we are talking with them while pleading with the government to do the responsible thing. I was able to see the President last week, and I laid this issue on the table and I believe the highest authority has been informed.”

GOGAN Media.