Residents doctors give the FG a two-week deadline for pending agreements

At the conclusion of a three-day special National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, the ultimatum was issued in a communiqué.

The Federal Government has been given a two-week deadline to start implementing all outstanding agreements by the national leadership of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

The National Executive Council (NEC) issued the ultimatum in a communiqué at the conclusion of a three-day emergency meeting held at the Federal Medical Center in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

In addition, the resident doctors asked for an increase in the financial allocation for the health sector from the current 5.7 percent to 15 percent annually in order to address the present infrastructure decay and, among other things, to fill the vacuum left by the current brain drain in the industry.

According to the communiqué, “NEC resolved to issue the government a two-week ultimatum beginning today, April 29, 2023, to resolve all these demands, after the expiration of which, on May 13, 2023, we may not be able to guarantee industrial harmony in the sector nationwide.”

It calls for a 200 percent initial compensation increase for doctors under the Consolidated Medical Compensation Structure (CONMESS).

The doctors claim that the extra allowances mentioned in the letter NARD sent to Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, on July 7, 2022, for the review of CONMESS are in addition to the desired adjustment of the compensation structure.

The NARD leadership further requested the immediate withdrawal and abandonment of the “ill-conceived” bill by House of Representatives member Ganiyu Johnson, who represents Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency II in Lagos State, about the supposed enslavement of young doctors in Nigeria.

In accordance with the agreements made at the stakeholders’ meeting called by the Federal Ministry of Health, it also demanded the early payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) for 2023.

The communiqué concluded, “This should be done without further delay.”

Additionally, it demanded that all salary arrears owed to NARD members, including those from 2014, 2015, and 2016, as well as the areas affected by the minimum wage’s ensuing adjustment, begin to be paid.

See the full communiqué below: