Resident Doctors Give Federal Government Fresh 24-hour Ultimatum, Mull Nationwide Strike Friday

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) whitethorn embark connected a nationwide informing onslaught from Friday, September 12, arsenic it issued a caller 24-hour ultimatum to the national government, pursuing the expiration of it earlier 10-day ultimatum.

The determination was reached astatine the extremity of NARD’s Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) gathering held connected Wednesday, September 10, and concluded successful the aboriginal hours of Thursday, wherever members unanimously resolved to down tools.

NARD noted that it had earlier issued a 10-day ultimatum to the national authorities and applicable authorities, which expired connected Wednesday without meaningful action. The relation recalled that successful July, it had fixed a three-week ultimatum but extended it to let for further dialogue, efforts it said yielded nary results.

Top among its grievances were the non-payment of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), outstanding 5 months’ wage arrears from the 25/35 per cent CONMESS review, and different unpaid entitlements.

The doctors besides decried the non-payment of the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance, the withholding of rank certificates by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), and the downgrading of West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons certificates by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

At the authorities level, NARD faulted the Kaduna State Government for failing to honour agreements with doctors astatine Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, and the Oyo State Government for neglecting payment issues astatine LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, wherever doctors stay connected indefinite strike.

The relation reiterated its demands, including: contiguous outgo of the 2025 MRTF and 5 months’ CONMESS arrears, colony of each outstanding wage arrears, outgo of the 2024 Accoutrement Allowance and commencement of specializer allowance payments to each doctors.

Others see restoration of designation for West African postgraduate certificates by the MDCN, issuance of rank certificates by NPMCN without delay, afloat implementation of the 2024 CONMESS successful Kaduna State and urgent solution of doctors’ payment concerns successful Oyo State.

NARD stressed that authorities governments indispensable prioritise the payment of doctors successful grooming institutions and hospitals to curb encephalon drain and guarantee concern harmony.