Resident Doctors’ strike continues despite intervention

13 Sep Resident Doctors’ strike continues despite intervention

Resident doctors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors who are insisting on payment of salary arrears, have still not resumed work after the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) met with President Buhari on ways to end the crises in the health sector. NARD gave the payment of their salaries for between 2014 and 2021 as the only condition for which they would call off their 41-day-old strike.

But Labour and Employment Chris Ngige said the striking doctors are owed only one month salary.

But NARD’s Communication Chairman, Dr Julian Ojebo, said on Sunday that they had lost trust in the government to keep its words and promises.

He wondered why the government has not been able to carry out the verification since the commencement of the strike 41 ago.

Ojebo also said it was not well reasoned for the President to ‘beg’ them to call off the strike when resident doctors have no money to transport themselves to their offices, buy drugs and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) as well as pay the tuition of their children and wards for the new academic session.

Ojebo said: “NARD is saying ‘no retreat no surrender’ until all our demands are met. We are not suspending any strike action. No verification was done after the period of 41 days.

“We gave the government 120 days for verification and nothing was done. We are therefore not waiting for any verification because we know that once we call off the strike, they won’t do anything.

“We do not see any reason the President is saying that he is begging us to call-off the strike. We are also begging the President to pay all outstanding salaries from 2014 to 2021.

“You cannot tell somebody that has not been paid from January till date to suspend an industrial action; where will he get the money to go back to work and to feed.”

Ngige however said the doctors August salary was being withheld in line with the no-work, no-pay rule invoked by the government following their refusal to call off the strike.

The minister said the Federal Government, having dragged the doctors before the National Industrial Court would wait for the outcome of the matter.

He, however, appealed to the NARD members to return to work and allow the court rule on the no –work, no-pay rule.

His words: “Nobody is owing them. Their money that is withheld is for August. They started their strike August 2 by August 15, after two weeks, they refused to come to work despite all entreaties from the National Assembly and Medical Elders Forum.

The leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association on Sunday met with leaders of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors as part of efforts aimed at ending the resident doctors’ lingering strike.

Although the National President of NARD, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, confirmed that the meeting.

Okhuaihesuyi said, “They initiated a meeting and met with us this evening (Sunday). They want us to call off the strike. Nothing can be resolved in that manner; so, what are we saying? They (NMA) can go ahead and call off the strike.

“We will meet in court on Wednesday. Till then, we are not saying anything on the matter. We have also met with state governments as regards the resident doctors in their states and they have shown that they will like to follow the path of the Federal Government.”