Tanko Sununu, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services, says a large number of resident doctors working in federal institutions are receiving multiple salaries.

Mr Sununu said this while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja over the ongoing strike by the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

“Let me cite an example, in the list of names submitted to the Budget Office, there were many names of doctors appearing in multiple hospitals.

“An account is receiving salary payment more than once ina month, which I was called by the Budget Office that if I can sign an undertaking, then their salaries will be paid,” he said.

He, however, said that he insisted on a no answer, adding that the right thing must be done and the list was sorted out to correct the anomaly.

He said those that had received multiple salaries and the hospitals involved were sorted and forwarded to the committee.

He said that the committee would table it before the house for necessary action, adding that the right thing must be done to end the current NARD strike.

He called on the striking doctors to temper justice with mercy, stressing that Nigerians believed that their demands were genuine, but there were processes to achieve such demands.

“On behalf of the speaker, the National Assembly we stand to ensure that everybody is respected accordingly but we have to also follow due process,” he said.

He said that the allegation that the Minister of Labour and Productivity was not willing to meet the striking doctors was due to a communication gap.

“I believe that NARD not meeting the minister is due to communication gap, even while we were seated, the minister called me to update me on development, this may not be the exact demand of NARD but the minister is doing a lot,” he said.

He said that an agreement had been signed which was at the level of implementation, adding that the process had become slow which NARD could longer understand.

He said that in spite of that fact, the National Assembly would ensure that the right things were done but the due process must be respected.

NARD had on April 1 embarked on an indefinite strike over failure of the government to meet its demands.

However, in a swift reaction, Dr Dotun Osikoya, Publicity and Social Secretary, NARD said that the allegation was not true.

He said that the association was not aware of such, adding that individuals involved should be fished out and punished accordingly.

(NAN)