The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared an indefinite strike, effective Wednesday, July 26, 2023.
The strike was announced by NARD President Dr. Emeka Orji on Tuesday night following a meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) in Lagos.
Orji said the strike was a result of the Federal Government’s failure to implement the resolutions of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the doctors in May 2023.
The MoU addressed a number of issues, including the payment of salaries and allowances, the provision of adequate facilities, and the training of resident doctors.
Orji said the government had failed to meet the deadline for implementing the MoU, which expired on July 19.
Some of the doctors’ demands include the implementation of the one-for-one replacement policy for healthcare workers; the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to discontinue the downgrading of the membership certificate issued by the West African Postgraduate Medical and Surgical Colleges; the immediate payment of all salary arrears; the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure; a new hazard allowance; and the domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act; among others.
He added, “Our members are saying that we have been on this since January on the same issues, and they are not going to continue to wait.
“The very important part of our demands is one-for-one replacement, and doctors are still leaving and the ones remaining are being overworked.”
