Resident Doctors to down tools Over Non-Payment Of Allowances

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to embark on a fresh industrial action over non-payment of accoutrement allowances owed their members. This was disclosed in a communique issued after its general meeting held in Kaduna State, while informing all its chapters to give a two-week ultimatum to the chief medical directors and managing directors (CMDs/ MDs) to immediately pay the owed allowance.  The communique was signed by Dr Dele Abdullahi Olaitan, President; Dr Anaduaka Christopher Obinna, Secretary General; and Dr Egbe John Jonah, Public and Special Secretary. The resident doctors also warned that failure to comply with the directive would result in nationwide industrial actions. During the discussion, the group also urged for the abolition of doctor casualisation in order to ensure equitable and stable employment standards throughout the country.  They also urged healthcare providers to speed up their transition to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which would streamline payroll procedures. The doctors emphasised that any assault on medical staff would result in an immediate suspension of services until the area’s safety was secured for practice.  They urged the National Assembly to approve legislation criminalising assaults on healthcare workers. They also suggested that the examination fees for the West African Colleges of Surgeons and Physicians be reduced in order to enable resident doctor registration. The doctors’ threat to embark on strike is coming shortly after the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) resolved to relax the nationwide strike they embarked upon since Monday. The Labour leaders mentioned this after they convened a joint extraordinary National Executive Council in Abuja on Tuesday, top officials confirmed to newsmen. “The NLC and TUC are going to relax the strike and see what happens in the next one week with negotiations with FG,” one of the sources noted. “We’re just doing communique but it will be released after the meeting with the government team,” another senior official had confirmed.

Resident doctors in UCH Begin strike over alleged assault

Following an alleged assault on a resident doctor by relatives of a patient, resident doctors under the auspices of Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan in Oyo State have commenced a three-day strike. ARD President, Dr. John Oladapo told newsmen on Thursday that the doctors are demanding a public apology from the people who assaulted their member, inflicting injuries on him on Sunday. He called on the hospital to improve its security architecture to avoid future occurrences in the hospital. “On Sunday, one of our members was the target of a deliberate, premeditated, planned rage and furious assault by a patient’s relation. “The doctor was seeing a known Sickle Cell patient in a painful crisis at the Emergency Department when the two men accosted him in the consulting room and started beating him up. “The mother of the patient being seen who tried to intervene was also beaten up in this assault. In the doctor’s attempt to escape, the men chased him down and beat him up. “The security officers of the hospital intervened and rescued our member, but not before he sustained injuries as well as mental health and esteem”.

Resident doctors end nationwide strike

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has taken the decision to suspend its nationwide strike, with medical professionals scheduled to resume their duties starting Saturday. This development was officially confirmed by the association’s National President, Innocent Orji, on Friday evening. In a concise message scooped from Channels Television by NIGERIAN ANCHOR, Orji stated, “Good evening. We just suspended the strike. Work to resume 8 am tomorrow. We will review the progress made in two weeks.” This action comes shortly after the doctors had called off their planned nationwide protest, which was intended to underscore their various demands. Among the primary objectives pursued by NARD is the request for an expanded workforce to fill the vacancies left by doctors who have either migrated or passed away. Orji emphasized the consequences of inadequate staffing in healthcare institutions, stating, “Our members are suffering. Nigerians are suffering too. When you don’t have the right number of doctors in the hospital, there is no way it is not going to affect the healthcare service delivery system. And nobody has come out to tell us that what we are saying is not true.” Regarding previously established guidelines from the government, Orji expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of implementation: “The government on its own set up a ministerial committee that came up with a guideline since February this year, why hasn’t that guideline been circularised?” He criticized the government for not meeting the doctors’ demands and raised questions about the government’s response to their concerns. Earlier, the union’s leadership engaged in discussions with senators, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio. NARD had initiated a “total and indefinite strike action” on July 25, 2023, in pursuit of various demands, including improved wages for doctors.