By MBAFAN ADE, Abuja –
National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its seven-day strike following the intervention of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).
The association voted to call off the strike, which commenced on June 15 over a number of disagreements bordering on hazard allowance and safety of health workers involved in the current national effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
COVID-19 has so far infected 19,808 Nigerian, with 667 new cases reported on Saturday alone in 14 states of the Federation, with 19 deaths, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The NGF had brokered a truce with the NARD to call off its week-long strike, following which the doctors, rising from a meeting held in Abuja Saturday evening, decided to put their faith in the Governors Forum and suspend the action.
It was learnt that the entire executives of the NARD were at the NGF Secretariat Abuja on Thursday at the instance of the Director-General of the Forum, Mr. Asishana Bayo Okauru, where they met with the chairman of the NGF and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi and later the Governor of Oyo State Ayo Makinde and expressed their grievances.
According to the Head of Media & Public Affairs at the NGF Secretariat, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, “it was the very first time that NARD would be putting their grievances before the Forum.”
After listening to resident doctors, the NGF Chairman reminded the NARD executives of their Hippocratic oath and admonished them to always bring their conscience to the fore “because when you strike it is not the men in power that suffer but the common man on the streets.”
Fayemi commended them for remaining in the country to serve in spite of the abundant opportunities and lucrative offers that await them abroad. However, Dr Fayemi also reminded them that government has always invested huge sums of money to train them and it would amount to a disservice to their fatherland to flee the country without giving their services in return.
Fayemi appealed to the NARD to call off the strike promising that the NGF would sit in a week’s time and consider their grievances along with all the other members of the Forum with a view to finding a lasting solution to those of their problems that are immediately possible for the Forum to tackle.
The doctors, led by their president, Dr Aliyu Sokomba and their National Secretary Dr Bilkisu, left the NGF Secretariat with a promise to consult the membership of their association to prevail on them to put their faith in the NGF and await the action of the governors on the matter.
It is on that basis that the President reached out to the DG of the NGF this evening as they close the NARD meeting to announce that they are calling off the strike to allow the governors to address their complaints.
Members of the NARD, who rose from their meeting on Sunday morning, voted in against continuation of the strike, according to THEWILL.
It quoted an official of the association declaring: “Dear colleagues, Rising from NARD eNEC today, the on-going total and indefinite strike action is hereby suspended and work resumes effectively on Monday 22/06/020 from 8:00 am.
“Voting pattern: Suspension of strike – 47. Continuation of strike – 28
“A communique to that effect will be released soonest,” THEWILL gathered from a top source.
The online medium also quoted the source as having confirmed payments by the Federal Government to the resident doctors: “They have paid the April and may arrears though other requests have not been met. We are hoping they will follow through on their promises.”
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