The two-week ultimatum issued by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors to the Federal Government ends today (Saturday), reports.
The association has, however, scheduled its extraordinary National Executive Council meeting for Monday, May 15, 2023, virtually to deliberate on the ultimatum.
NARD had on April 29, 2023, given the Federal Government two weeks to meet its demands or face industrial disharmony.
The doctors are demanding an immediate increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of the current gross salaries of doctors.
The doctors also want the immediate withdrawal of the bill seeking to compel medical and dental graduates to render five-year compulsory services in Nigeria before being granted full licence to practise.
They also want the immediate implementation of CONMESS, domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act, and review of hazard allowance by all the state governments as well as private tertiary health institutions where any form of residency training is done; among others.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, had told that the government had commenced moves to avert the planned strike by the doctors by initiating high-level discussions with the doctors.
However, the President of the resident doctors, Dr Emeka Orji, told our correspondent the government has not negotiated with the doctors regarding their demands.
“They feel that they are done with the government, and they want to hand over to the next administration, but many of the demands can be met before they hand over.
“For instance, there was a brain drain committee set up last year regarding the severe manpower shortage, the committee finished their work and made recommendations in February on how to implement the one-to-one policy, but three months down the line, the circular is yet to come out.
“This is not something that should be handed over to the next administration because our hospitals are depleted, we don’t have people there, and patients are dying. So, there is no how that circular cannot come out. They don’t need any extra-budgetary allocation to implement that one and the circular within the Federal Ministry of Health; we don’t know why they have not brought it out.”
He also said there is no circular to back up the salary pay rise the government claimed to have offered the Nigerian Medical Association.
“This should not be handed over to the next administration, they should handle it before they go, and they have not negotiated with us.
“With our NEC meeting, our members will discuss the next step to take. I have feelers that the NEC members are enraged, it may not be like other times when we will issue ultimatums and shelve industrial action, they may likely take a different decision,” he added.
Dr Ehanire could not respond to inquiries by our correspondent on the matter. He did not take his calls and has yet to respond to a text message sent to him on the matter as of the time of filing this report.
