The association of resident doctors in Nigeria have
embarked on an indefinite strike, to press home their demand for irregular
payment of the IPPIS and non payment of salary to some of their members. Other
demand which the group is angry with is the poor funding of residency training
by the federal government. The strike was announced today by its national
President, Mr. Jibril Abdulahi in Kano.
The medical group had two weeks ago
issued a two weeks ultimatum and threatened to
embark on the indefinite industrial action should the Federal Government fail
to pay the accumulated salaries of its members within two weeks.
“The decision to go on an indefinite strike was
taken during an extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the
association held at the National Hospital in Abuja,”
Abdullahi said. “The Federal Government is playing game with the issue of
budgetary allocation for the training of specialists. Though we had some
deliberations, but up till now nothing has been done. To make the matter worse,
the government refused to issue a White Paper on the agreement reached” Mr.
Abdullahi had said two weeks ago.
He expressed his sympathy to Nigerians on the
problems they may face in the health sector.
He said the association was in addition giving
the Enugu State Government a 21-day ultimatum from Monday 30 September, as
required by law.
The NARD president said the ultimatum was for it
to commence the implementation of CONMESS for Resident Doctors at the Enugu
State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH).
“Failure to do this shall result in the staged
withdrawal of services, first in Enugu
State, then the whole of
South Eastern Nigeria and finally nationwide,” he said.
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