Why Nigerian Resident Doctors Suspended Two-Week-Old Strike Action

The National Association of Resident Doctors has suspended its two-week-old strike action over the failure of the government to meet its demands.

The association’s national president Innocent Orji confirmed the development on Friday evening.

Orji, speaking on the suspension of the strike, told Vanguard that the association would observe the government for two weeks to see if the latter will keep to promise of meeting up with some other demands.

He said, “The association decided to suspend the strike because of the moves by the federal government to address our demands.

“The circular on one-for-one replacement is a very important demand because we believe it would address the severe manpower shortage.

“But from what we have seen, it would take another two weeks for government to finalize it.

“We had another meeting this evening and our members concluded that rather than waiting for two weeks for the circular we should suspend the strike especially as we have seen that government has started addressing some of the issues.”

The resident doctors had been on strike since 26 July following the failure of the Nigerian government to meet their demands.

Their demands include the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), tangible steps on the “upward review” of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and payment of all salary arrears owed its members since 2015.

The doctors also want the immediate massive recruitment of clinical staff in the hospitals and the

abolishment of the bureaucratic limitations to the immediate replacement of doctors and nurses who leave the system.

SaharaReporters had also reported how NARD members suspended its planned nationwide protest on Wednesday after a closed-door meeting with principal officers of the senate.

The government on Tuesday pleaded with the striking resident doctors to shelve their planned nationwide protest and stop the ongoing strike for the sake of Nigerians dying in the hospitals across the country.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Daju Kachallom, who has been negotiating with the doctors on behalf of government, made the appeal in Abuja when she addressed journalists at the ministry’s headquarters.

Daju begged the NARD members not to allow more Nigerians to die due to their absence in hospitals.