Resident doctors to begin five-day warning strike on Wednesday

Following the Federal Government’s refusal to accede to its requests, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors issued a five-day warning strike.

The strike, according to the resident doctors, would start at 8 am on May 17 and terminate at 8 am on May 22.

This was the conclusion reached following the virtual, six and a half-hour long National Executive Council meeting on Monday.

On April 29, 2023, NARD gave the Federal Government a two-week deadline to comply with its requests or risk industrial unrest.

On May 13, 2023, a Saturday, the ultimatum was lifted.

The Consolidated Medical Salary Structure must be immediately increased by 200 percent of the existing gross physician salary, according to the doctors.

The doctors also demand that the measure that would require recent medical and dental graduates to serve a five-year mandatory military service in Nigeria before receiving full licenses to practice medicine and dentistry be immediately withdrawn.

In addition, they demand that CONMESS be put into effect right away, that the Medical resident Training Act be domesticated, and that all state governments and private tertiary health institutions that conduct any kind of resident training examine the hazard allowance.

The strike affected both emergency and clinical procedures at the hospitals, according to NARD President Dr. Emeka Orji, who spoke to The PUNCH.

Despite the administration being given an ultimatum that expired on May 13, according to Dr. Orji, the government refused to bargain with the doctors about their requests.