Doctor
Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has reaffirmed that its members will not return to work until the Federal Government meets all 19 outstanding demands in full and without delay.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, President of NARD, said that none of the issues that triggered the ongoing nationwide strike had received the necessary attention from the authorities.
Resident doctors across the country commenced a total, indefinite strike on November 1, after the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum issued to the government to address their long-standing welfare concerns.
Suleiman’s remarks came in response to a statement from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, signed by Mr. Alaba Balogun, announcing the release of ₦11.9 billion for arrears and other welfare packages for doctors.
According to the ministry, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance, ₦21.3 billion had been transferred to the IPPIS account for health workers, while ₦11.9 billion and ₦10.6 billion were earmarked for different categories of payments.
The ministry also noted that the government was working to address manpower shortages by hiring more healthcare professionals and engaging stakeholders, including NARD, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
However, Suleiman maintained that the association was not aware of any such ₦11.9 billion release, stressing that the supposed payments covered the entire health sector, not just resident doctors.
> “Based on the ministry’s own report, one or two out of 19 is a very poor performance score,” he said, insisting that resident doctors will remain on strike until all their demands are fully met.
NAN
