Resident Doctors Begin Five-Day Warning Strike Wednesday

A five-day warning strike has been declared by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors following the failure of the Federal Government to meet its demands.

The resident doctors said the strike will commence at 8 am on Wednesday, May 17, and will end Monday, May 22, at 8 am.

This was the decision reached after its six and half hours extraordinary National Executive Council meeting held virtually on Monday.

NARD had on April 29, 2023, issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its demands or face industrial disharmony.

The ultimatum ended on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

The doctors are demanding an immediate increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of the current gross salaries of doctors.

The doctors also want the immediate withdrawal of the bill seeking to compel medical and dental graduates to render five-year compulsory services in Nigeria before being granted full licences to practise.

They also want the immediate implementation of CONMESS, domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act, and review of hazard allowance by all the state governments as well as private tertiary health institutions where any form of residency training is done; among others.

The President of NARD, Dr Emeka Orji told The PUNCH that the strike was total, involving both emergency and clinical operations in the hospitals.

Dr. Orji said despite the ultimatum issued to the government which ended on May 13, the government did not negotiate with the doctors regarding their demands.