Two weeks after Resident doctors under the aegis of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) embarked upon strike, they have suspended the indefinite strike.
The strike commenced on July 26 to press home their demands which include the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement and payment of skipping arrears.
Others are upward review of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS and payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum wage to omitted doctors
The doctors were also demanding
the reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
The association also demanded the payment of MRTF, new hazard allowance, skipping and implementation of corrected CONMESS in state tertiary health institutions and payment of omitted hazard allowance arrears.
Announcing the suspension of the strike on Friday, in Abuja, the National President, Dr Innocent Orji, said a review would be made in two weeks.
He said “we just suspended the strike. Work to resume by 8 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, Aug. 12). We will review progress made in two weeks.”
Recalled that there had been series of interventions by various stakeholders for the association to suspend the strike.
The Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, in his bid to avert the industrial action, urged the resident doctors to suspend the strike.
Abbas had made the call at a meeting between the leadership of the House and NARD in Abuja.
He added that the administration was still in the process of settling down as ministers had yet to assume office.
The association had planned to stage protests and picket tertiary health institutions and the Federal Ministry of Health.
However, following the intervention of the Presidency and the Senate President, the protests were suspended.
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