The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to address its demands before the May 29 handover.

The association’s president, Innocent Orji, made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, saying that the resident doctors had already declared a five-day warning strike from Wednesday (May 17).

He added that the two-week ultimatum earlier issued to the federal government expired on May 13 without addressing the association’s demands.

“Regrettably, these issues have remained unresolved in spite of several attempts by NARD to get the government to resolve them,” Mr Orji explained. “We call on the federal government to address the issues raised before the May 29 handover date as further industrial harmony cannot be guaranteed after the warning strike.”

Mr Orji further said since the expiration of the two-week ultimatum, the government did not reach out to the association nor made any significant moves to resolve the issues.

He said the association frowned at this development and wondered how the government would claim to have the interest of Nigerians at heart and still neglect such its ultimatum.

According to him, some of the issues raised by the association include an immediate increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) to 200 per cent of the gross salary of doctors and allowances.

The NARD president said the demands included the commencement of payment of all salary and other arrears owed members, including 2014, 2015 and 2016 salary arrears, as well as arrears of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.

Also included are the immediate massive recruitment of clinical staff in hospitals and the abolishment of bureaucratic limitations to the immediate replacement of doctors and nurses who left the system.

The doctors also wanted immediate infrastructural development in hospitals with the subsequent allocation of at least 15 per cent of budgetary provisions to health, in line with the Abuja Declaration of 2001, Mr Oji said.

The NARD president said the association requested immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) in line with the agreements reached at the 2023 stakeholders’ meeting.

The association also requested the immediate implementation of CONMESS, domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA), and review of hazard allowance by all the state governments and private tertiary health institutions.

Mr Orji said the association would review the progress made during and after the strike at the ordinary general meeting slated for the next two weeks and decide the next line of action.

He expressed the association’s readiness to negotiate with the government to resolve the disputes.

(NAN)