Resident Doctors set to embark on indefinite stake as congress to hold today

NARD

Strong indications emerged on Monday that members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors may embark on an industrial strike if the Federal Government fails to meet their longstanding demands.

Our correspondent gathered that the association will hold its congress meeting today, July 1, 2025, where a final decision on the next line of action will be taken.

On May 31, the doctors issued a communiqué at the end of their Ordinary General Meeting, giving the National Officers’ Committee a four-week mandate to engage relevant stakeholders for the implementation of their demands.

The communiqué clearly stated that “The OGM gives the National Officers’ Committee the next four weeks to continue engagement with all the relevant stakeholders in ensuring implementation of the above demands, after which the NEC will reappraise the situation.”

That four-week window expires with the July 1 congress meeting, after which, if no meaningful progress is made, the association is poised to take decisive action, including a nationwide strike.

The doctors are demanding the full payment of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, the introduction of a specialist allowance for doctors, and the settlement of arrears related to the 25–35 per cent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure.

They are also pushing for the long-overdue consequential adjustment to reflect the new national minimum wage, among others.

Speaking exclusively with our correspondent on Monday, the President of NARD, Dr Tope Osundara, said the association would convene a crucial meeting, the outcome of which remained uncertain.

He stressed that the possibility of a strike was strong unless the NARD Congress decided otherwise. 

He said, “First on the list in our demands is the Medical Residency Training Fund for 2025 which is the light of the day.

“The second on the list is Specialist Allowance for Doctors because part of what we do we render specialist care and the government doesn’t compensate them for the specialist service they render.

“The third on the list is the payment of the seven-month areas of 25-35 per cent CONMESS. Then, the issue of minimum wage of which there has been no consequential adjustment on our salary scale.

“There was a collective bargaining agreement in 2009 that we had with the government that each time they review the minimum wage in the country, it should reflect on the salary scale and for the last 16 years this has not been done.

“Each time they have this minimum wage adjustment, they will just pay a paltry sum which is almost like the wage award that will be paid to the doctors. Then we also have the issue of accoutrement allowance.”

He noted that the association has repeatedly engaged with the government on longstanding issues, which are neither new nor unfamiliar to officials.

He criticized the government’s continued neglect of healthcare workers’ welfare, describing it as a key reason for the ongoing brain drain in the sector.

He said doctors were simply asking for what was standard and rightfully due

Recommended For You

About the Author: Solomon Omosehin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *