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Tag: NARD

  • Real reason Speaker Abbas met with Tinubu

    Real reason Speaker Abbas met with Tinubu

    The Federal Government says it will continue to dialogue with the members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and the labour unions towards addressing their grievances.

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, said this after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    He said the engagement with the president on the  strike by the resident doctors was enlightening as he showed great concern about their plight.

    ‘’We met with the president on the strike of the National Association of Resident Doctors. He asked us to continue to dialogue with them and tell them to give him more time.

    ‘’He told us that some of the issues raised by doctors were not known to him and he will like to resolve them as quickly as possible. I believe within the next coming days some actions would be taken,’’ Abbas said.

    Similarly, the Speaker said  the House would continue to dialogue towards meeting the demands of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.

    ‘’We will invite them to come and sit so that we can hear their grievances and then we follow the same pattern of engaging them, pursueding them to give us a little to see how can be able to meet their expectations.’’

    ​The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that resident doctors​ started their strike on Wednesday as government failed to meet it demands.

    ​Part of their demands include  immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF); and immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement.

    It also includes the payment of skipping arrears and upward review of CONMESS in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS​.

    ​The NLC has also given a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to reverse all perceived anti-poor policies, including the recent hike in the pump price of petrolor face an indefinite nationwide strike from Aug. 2.

    Abbas appealed to the labour unions to give the new government of Tinubu more time to look into their demands with the aim of resolving them.

  • Speaker Abbas meets Tinubu over resident doctors’ strike

    Speaker Abbas meets Tinubu over resident doctors’ strike

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has met with President Bola Tinubu to discuss on the  strike embarked by the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) .

    Recalled that the Speaker had earlier on Monday met with the national leadership of NARD and pleaded with them to shelve their planned strike.

    During the meeting with the NARD leadership, the Speaker had appealed to the resident doctors to give the House leadship for two weeks period to find solutions to the issues raised.

    He equally promised to meet President Tinubu within 24 hours on the matter, and constituted an ad hoc committee chaired by the Leader of the House Prof. Julius Ihonvbere in the matter.

    In keeping to his promise, Speaker has met with President Tinubu yesterday night, where he briefed the president on the outcome of his meeting with the NARD leadership.

    Speaker equally pleaded with the president to wade into the matter with a view to addressing the issues raised by the resident doctors.

    However, despite the Speaker’s intervention, NARD embarked on an indefinite strike on Tuesday evening.

    He had directed the Ad- hoc committee to meet with all the stakeholders with a view to resolving the matter immediately.

    The panel has the immediate past Chairman of the 9th House Committee on Healthcare Services, Hon. Tanko Sununu as the deputy chairman, while all medical practitioners in the House were co-opted into the ad hoc committee.

  • Resident doctors declare indefinite strike

    Resident doctors declare indefinite strike

    The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, (NARD) has declared an indefinite strike.

    NARD’s decision was contained in a release issued on Tuesday evening by the association’s president Dr Innocent Orji. Dr Orji said NARD was making an eight-point demand among which are the “immediate payment of the 2023 MRTF; immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement, payment of skipping arrears and upward review of CONMESS in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS.

    ” NARD is also demanding”payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum to the omitted doctors; reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by MDCN, payment of MRTF, new hazard allowance, skipping and implementation of corrected CONMESS in State Tertiary Health Institutions and payment of omitted hazard allowance arrears.”

    The demands cited by the association include the immediate payment of the 2023 MRTF, the immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement, and the payment of skipping arrears, among others.

    Recall that the association had issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government on July 5 demanding the implementation of all its demands.

  • Resident doctors end warning strike, resume today

    Resident doctors end warning strike, resume today

    After embarking on a nationwide warning strike since Wednesday, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has directed its members to resume work today (Monday).

    The association had on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government to address the issues that result to the warning strike.

    NARD, after its three-hour Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting disclosed it would review Federal Government’s commitment to resolving the issues in the next two weeks.

    The doctors are demanding immediate massive recruitment of clinical staff in the hospitals; immediate withdrawal of the bill seeking to compel medical and dental graduates to render five-year compulsory services in Nigeria before being granted full licences to practise; immediate infrastructural development in the hospitals with a subsequent allocation of at least 15 per cent of the budgetary provisions to health in line with the 2001 Abuja declaration.

    Other demands are the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund in line with the agreements reached at the stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Health on February 15, 2023; the immediate increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of the gross salary of Doctors in addition to the allowances included in the letter written to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire on July 7, 2022, for the review of CONMESS; among others.

  • Strike: Hope in sight as resident doctors reach agreement with FG

    Strike: Hope in sight as resident doctors reach agreement with FG

    Striking resident doctors and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government on the industrial action that began on Wednesday.

    Operating on the platform of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the striking doctors embarked on the five-day warning strike to press their demand for improved conditions of service.

    Spokesman of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Olajide Oshundun, stated on Saturday in Abuja that the MoU was signed at the office of the minister, Mr Chris Ngige on Friday.

    He stated also that the meeting of Friday directed officials of the NARD to present the outcome to members of the association in an emergency meeting to be held within 48 hours.

    “This is with a view to suspending the strike,’’ he stated.

    The striking doctors had said on Wednesday that the move was to call government’s attention to the need to end brain drain in the health sector and improve the welfare of members of NARD.

    They are also demanding an immediate increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of current gross salaries of doctors.

    NARD is also demanding the immediate withdrawal of the Bill seeking to compel medical and dental graduates to serve compulsorily in Nigeria for five years before getting full licences to practise.

    It also wants immediate domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act and a review of Hazard Allowance by state governments.

    The striking doctors also want a review of the Consolidated Medical Salaries Structure which was last reviewed in 2009 and the payment of unpaid salary arrears for 2014 to 2016.

    They also want a consequential adjustment of minimum wage arrears that is yet to be paid when the new minimum wage was implemented among other issues.

    According to Oshundun, in the MoU reached on Friday, Ngige said parties agreed that health is in the Residual List and not on the Concurrent List of the Constitution.

    Consequently, the Federal Government cannot compel state governments to effect payment of salaries and allowances in the health sector.

    He stated that the NMA and NARD were advised to embrace more persuasion and social dialogue at the state level.

    Ngige said the Federal Ministry of Health had taken the matter of perennial non-payment of salaries to Abia doctors to the National Council on Health.

    He added that the council had asked the state government to pay the doctors who had been on strike for several months for robust health delivery to the people.

    He argued that the Federal Government could also not compel state governments to domesticate the Medical Residency Training Act and pay the same salaries as paid by the Federal Government.

    “The ministry advised NARD to reach out to states that are not paying and negotiate with them, even if the rates are lower than that of the Federal Government.

    “The meeting also discussed the bill on bonding of doctors for five years before licensing, sponsored by Rep. Ganiyu Johnson (APC-Lagos State).

    “It was agreed that the Executive arm of government could not interfere with it being a private member’s bill and not an Executive bill.

    “The meeting resolved to await the public hearing on the bill, where the doctors will deal with it through the NMA to ensure it does not see the light of day,’’ Oshundun stated.

    The meeting noted that the recommendations of the Federal Ministry of Health’s Brain Drain Committee on exited doctors had been forwarded to the Office of Head of Service of the Federation (OHSF) for further action.

    Ngige said the OHSF was directed to engage all stakeholders on the matter by May 24 to ensure the approval of the implementation plan on or before June 5.

    The plan, he added would be transmitted to teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres for implementation.

    Ngige also said that the meeting agreed that fund for the payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund had been taken care of in the 2023 budget.

    He added that payment would begin when the operation of the budget begins.

    He noted that the budget office had requested for a comprehensive list of all resident doctors in federal tertiary health institutions from the Federal Ministry of Health.

    He added that the Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria had sent the list through the Federal Ministry of Health for payment to begin as soon as funds are released.

    The meeting resolved that NARD should re-present the list of doctors omitted in the payment of Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustment to the ministry on May 22.

    The list should have annexes of the old submission and the same copied to the office of the Minister of Labour and Employment.

    Top officials of Federal government agencies in the health sector and those in relevant agencies signed the MoU on the part of government.

    President of NMA, Dr Uche Ojinmah and his counterpart at the NARD, Dr Emeka Orji signed on behalf of the doctors.

  • Negotiations on-going on Resident Doctors’ strike – FG

    Negotiations on-going on Resident Doctors’ strike – FG

    The Federal Government says negotiations are on-going with stakeholders over the five-day warning strike embarked upon by members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Wednesday.

    Fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, Director, Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh, said the strike was of concern for government.

    “The situation with the doctors’ strike is of concern to government and the negotiations have been on-going.

    “We will continue under the circumstances, so, I cannot give you any conclusive response now.

    “However, government, the leadership of the ministry and relevant stakeholders are meeting to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,’’ she said.

    NARD served notice on the Federal government on Tuesday warning that it could not guarantee further industrial harmony should government failed to address issues raised before May 29.

    NARD’s letter entitled: “Notice of Strike Action’’ was signed jointly by its National President, Dr Innocent Orji and Secretary-General, Dr Chikezie Kelechi.

    They stated that NARD had issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve issues as contained in the ultimatum before its expiration on May 13.

    Tuesday’s letter read in part: “regrettably the issues have remained unresolved despite several attempts by NARD to get government to resolve them.

    “Rising from her Extra-Ordinary Meeting on Monday, May 15, NARD’s National Executive Council resolved to embark on a five-day warning strike beginning on May 17.’’

    The doctors are demanding an immediate increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of current gross salaries of doctors.

    NARD is also demanding the immediate withdrawal of the Bill seeking to compel medical and dental graduates to serve compulsorily in Nigeria for five years before getting full licences to practise.

    It also wants immediate domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act and a review of Hazard Allowance by state governments.

    Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment had on Tuesday, relayed the Federal Government’s warning to the association to shelve the strike.

    He issued the warning shortly after receiving a letter of notification from the NARD executive on the planned strike.

    In a statement signed by Mr Olajide Oshundun, Director, Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ngige said the planned strike was illegal.

    “There is nothing like warning strike. A strike is a strike. If they want to take that risk, the options are there. They have the right to strike. You cannot deny them that right.

    “Their employer has another right under Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, however, to withhold their pay for those five days.

    “If the NARD has strike funds to pay its members for those five days, no problem.

    “The health minister will instruct teaching hospitals to employ ad-hoc people for those five days and use the money of the people who went on strike to pay the ad-hoc doctors,’’ Ngige said.

    Ngige also said in the statement that upon receipt of NARDS letter, he contacted the Minister of Health, who told him that a meeting had been scheduled with the resident doctors for Wednesday.

    He advised the doctors to avail themselves of the opportunity of dialogue with their employers, rather than embarking on warning strike, which is unknown to the law.

    Speaking on the issue, President of NARD, Dr Orji said that members were still awaiting the Federal Government’s call for negotiations.

    “I am still in my hotel room now and I have not received any call to come to the table to discuss the strike.

    “We also heard that government is planning a `no work, no pay’ strategy, but our position is that it should resolve issues raised because that is the only way to avoid escalation.

    “Issuing threats will definitely worsen the problem. If no work no pay is implemented, our members will determine how we will handle it.

    “Going by that route will escalate the problem because it means that government is not ready to address the issues we have raised and will rather give punitive measures.

    “Our members will decide and give us further directives, but no one should blame us if they decide to escalate the strike,’’ he said.

    A visit to Asokoro District Hospital, Abuja, showed doctors were attending to patients.

    Dr Chidi Nnabuchi, former Head of Clinical Services said the hospital would not shut down, but would operate based on available capacity.

    He said emergency care would be offered where necessary, but could not ascertain if patients would be placed on admission. Number of out-patients seeking attention would also be reduced.

    He explained that this would be so because only medical consultants, NYSC and in-house doctors would be attending to patients.

    “We have few doctors that are corps members; they are not part of the strike. Some others are on local employment.

    “They are on ground to handle emergencies and treat patients in the wards.

  • Resident doctors commence strike, urge FG to address demands

    Resident doctors commence strike, urge FG to address demands

    The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has urged Federal Government to address its demands before May 29 as resident doctors commence a five-day warning strike today.

    Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, NARD’s President, Dr Innocent Orji disclosed the association had given the federal government a two-week ultimatum, which Dr Orji said expired on May 13, without the government 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. We call on the Federal Government to address the issues raised before the May 29 hand over date as further industrial harmony cannot be guaranteed after the warning strike,” he said.

    Orji further said that since the expiration of the two-week ultimatum, 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 government would claim to have the interest of the Nigerian citizens at heart and still neglect such ultimatum.

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

    He said the demands also include 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 abolishment of bureaucratic limitations to the immediate replacement of doctors and nurses who left the system.

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

    The NARD president said that 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 for immediate implementation of CONMESS , domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA), and review of hazard allowance by all the state governments, as well as Private Tertiary Health Institutions.

    Orji said that the association would  review the progress made during and after the strike at the Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) slated  for next two weeks and decide the next line of action.

    He  expressed the association’s readiness to go into  negotiation with government with a view to resolving the disputes.

  • Anxiety as resident doctors set for 5-day warning strike on Wednesday

    Anxiety as resident doctors set for 5-day warning strike on Wednesday

    The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), says it will commence a five-day warning strike on Wednesday.

    President of the association, Dr Innocent Orji, disclosed this on Monday while speaking on the outcome of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

    According to Dr Orji, the warning strike will begin by 8 am on Wednesday.

    The association had on April 29 issued a two-week notice to the Federal Government to increase the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) or risk industrial action.

    It said at the time that the increment should be to the tune of 200 per cent of the current gross salary of doctors and also be in addition to the new allowances included in the letter written to the Minister of Health in 2022 for the review of CONMESS.

    According to the association, it observed that in spite of several engagements with the Federal Government on the need to upwardly review CONMESS, which was last reviewed over 10 years ago, there are no changes.

    “The Federal Government has neither called NARD to the negotiation table nor taken any tangible step in addressing the issue.

    “This is against the background of the dwindling economic situation in the country, the serial abysmal decline in the value of the Naira, the imminent removal of fuel subsidy and the consequent damaging effect on the cost of living in the country.

    “There have been previous ultimatums issued to the government by NARD on account of this problem of the review of the CONMESS salary structure.”

    It added that the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on CONMESS stated clearly that the salary structure would be due for review after five years, but this has not been done since the implementation in 2014, though the approval was given in 2009.

    Orji, however, said that since the issuance of the two-week notice the association had not been called upon by the Federal Government to initiate negotiations.

  • JUST IN: Trouble as FG gets 2 weeks to increase salaries of resident doctors

    JUST IN: Trouble as FG gets 2 weeks to increase salaries of resident doctors

    The Nigerian health sector has been thrown into a troubled situation as the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given the Federal Government two weeks to increase the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

    The association gave the FG the 2 weeks ultimatum on Saturday in a communique issued at the end of the extra-ordinary council meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) held in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

    The communique was signed by the President, Dr Innocent Orji; the Secretary-General, Dr Kelechi Chikezie and the Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr Musa Umar.

    It said that the increment should be to the tune of 200 per cent of the current gross salary of doctors and also be in addition to the new allowances included in the letter written to the Minister of Health in 2022 for the review of CONMESS.

    According to the association, it observed that in spite of several engagements with the Federal Government on the need to upwardly review CONMESS, which was last reviewed over 10 years ago, there are no changes.

    “The Federal Government has neither called NARD to the negotiation table nor taken any tangible step in addressing the issue.

    “This is against the background of the dwindling economic situation in the country, the serial abysmal decline in the value of the Naira, the imminent removal of fuel subsidy and the consequent damaging effect on the cost of living in the country.

    “There have been previous ultimatums issued to the government by NARD on account of this problem of the review of the CONMESS salary structure.”

    It added that the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on CONMESS stated clearly that the salary structure would be due for review after five years, but this has not been done since the implementation in 2014, though the approval was given in 2009.

    “NEC has resolved to issue the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum beginning on Saturday, April 29, to resolve all these demands, following the expiration of which on May 13, we may not be able to guarantee industrial harmony in the sector nationwide.”

    The group also demanded the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) in line with the agreements reached at the stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Health.

    NARD also demanded the commencement of payment of all salary arrears owed to its members including 2014, 2015 and 2016 salary arrears as well as areas of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.

    “NEC regrettably observed that many state governors are yet to implement the appropriate CONMESS structure, domesticate the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA) or improve on the hazard allowance paid to our colleagues and other health workers while owing a backlog of salary arrears to our members.

    “NEC seriously frowned at these negative developments in the states which have lingered for a long time now, wondering how such state governors get to sleep at night seeing that they are endangering the lives of the citizens of their various states.”

    It however urged the immediate implementation of CONMESS, domestication of MRTA, and review of hazard allowance by all the state governments as well as Private Tertiary Health Institutions where any form of residency training is done.

    On the issue of compulsory five-year service licensing of doctors being proposed by the House of Representatives, the association vehemently condemned the bill.

    It said the bill was seeking to enslave young Nigerian doctors by restricting their fundamental human rights of freedom of choice and movement, adding that such would escalate the challenge of brain drain in the health sector.

    It, however, called for the immediate withdrawal and jettisoning of the bill.

    The group demanded an immediate massive recruitment of clinical staff in the hospitals and complete abolishment of bureaucratic limitations to the immediate replacement of doctors who leave the system.

    “NEC demands immediate infrastructural development in our various hospitals without further delay and insists on at least 15 per cent budgetary allocation to health subsequently.”

  • Japa Syndrome: Over 2000 doctors left Nigeria in 2022 – NARD

    Japa Syndrome: Over 2000 doctors left Nigeria in 2022 – NARD

    Dr Orji Innocent, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors  (NARD) in Nigeria has expressed shock over the alarming rate of doctors who have left the country to seek greener pastures.

    According to Dr Innocent, the association has lost over 2000 members in the last two years to Japa syndrome.

    The president of NARD added that if the situation is not tackled, the menace will degenerate to a point where the country will start experiencing scarcity of doctors and other medical personnel.

    Dr Innocent raised the concern on Saturday while fielding questions from journalists after the presentation of a communiqué issued at the end of the association’s conference in Uyo.

    He said a survey conducted in December revealed that over 2,000 members left for greener pastures.

    Meanwhile, in the communiqué, the association called for increased budgetary funding of the healthcare sector in the country, to the tune of 15 per cent annual budgetary allocation to improve the quality of healthcare delivery.

    “NEC calls for increased funding of the healthcare sector in the country, to the tune of 15 per cent annual budgetary allocation in line with the 2001 Abuja Declaration for healthcare financing in Africa and global best practices as well as the digitalisation of the healthcare services to improve the quality of healthcare delivery to Nigerian citizens.”

    The President said NEC urged the Chief Medical Directors of tertiary hospitals in the country to take responsibility for security in their various hospitals as NARD would no longer continue to watch her members being assaulted by staff members, patients, relatives or security operatives.

    He said the association called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate and arrest the perpetrators of the illegal shooting of one of its members in Delta and to ensure they are adequately punished to serve as a deterrent to others.