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Tag: NARD

  • JUST IN: Resident doctors call off 10-day-old strike

    JUST IN: Resident doctors call off 10-day-old strike

    The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called off the strike embarked on since April 1 by the medical doctors.

    The decision to end the strike followed an agreement reached with the government on Friday night.

    The strike was called off on Saturday evening after a virtual meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of NARD.

    President of NARD, Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, confirmed the decision of NARD to called off the strike, which has paralyses medical activities at the government hospitals across the country.

    The director/senior technical assistant to the minister of health, Dr Chris Isokpunwu, described the development as good news and explained that the decision to suspend the strike was the product of fruitful negotiations between the federal government and the resident doctors.

    However, Okhuaihesuyi explained that some of the doctors’ demands that were met include the abolishment of bench fee by House Officers, those on GIFMIS to be paid and integrated into Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPIS) in the next one week and a promise to work on salary shortfall for House Officers within 48 hours.

    He however said that the strike was only suspended for four weeks and that the doctors may resume the strike after four weeks if government fails to meet all their demands.

    According to him, doctors working in isolation centres will be resuming work today while others will resume on Monday.RD had embarked on an indefinite strike on April 1 after the expiration of the 60-day ultimatum given to the federal government to meet their demands.

  • FG, resident doctors meet today over strike

    FG, resident doctors meet today over strike

    The Federal Government will today(Friday) hold another meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) over its nationwide strike.

    The government will hope to convince the doctors to put – off the strike, which has paralysed activities in government- owned hospitals.

    Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment announced the meeting in a text on Thursday.

    The meeting will hold at the conference room of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige by 3pm.

    “The Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige will be meeting with Executive of the National Association of Resident Doctors and Representatives of the Federal Government,” the message said.

    The leadership of NARD has remained adamant despite the government paying arrears of medical doctors who are mostly House Officers.

    But in a communiqué on Thursday, the NARD described the statement credited to Dr. Ngige as “spurious misinformation.”

    Admitting that some house officers have been paid, it said many of them are yet to be paid.

    Besides, it alleged the payment was marred by irregularities.

    The association noted the strike became imperative when it noticed the Ministry of Health was not interested in any form of settlement to avert the strike.

    It said the only positive result from the conciliatory meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment was abolition of the exorbitant bench fees being paid by NARD members on outside postings in all training institutions across the country.

    “This”, it said, “is however not yet backed by a circular.”

    The communiqué reads: “All other demands like the immediate payment of all salary arrears including march salaries for its members in all federal (GIFMIS platform) and state tertiary health institutions across the country, upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, payment of death in service insurance for all health workers who died as a result of COVID-19 infection or other infectious diseases, among other demands are yet to be met.

    “We want to use this medium to reiterate our commitment to the smooth running of all tertiary institutions in the country and the provision of specialist healthcare to Nigerians, but we need to first of all care for our own health and welfare in order to give standard care to our patients. This is in line with our physician oath.”

  • How COVID-19 killed 17 UCH doctors

    How COVID-19 killed 17 UCH doctors

    The President of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan Chapter of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Temitope Hussein has revealed how 17 doctors were killed by COVID-19 pandemic

    Hussein, who was justifying the association’s reasons for joining the nationwide strike of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, explained that the families of the deceased doctors were yet to benefit from the Death-in-Service Insurance Scheme.

    According to him, the striking doctors were also protesting the non-payment of salaries of some of their members across the country and demanding for an upward review of hazard allowance, among others.

    He decried the agony its members nationwide had been made to pass through for three months now without salaries, despite their uninterrupted service delivery to the nation.

    Hussein said in spite of the three-month window given to the Federal Government to review the hazard allowance of health workers, the hazard allowance had remained at a paltry sum of five thousand naira monthly.

    He explained that the strike came on the heels of the expiration of the 60-day ultimatum given to the Federal Government on Jan. 25.

  • FG, resident doctors reach an agreement after long hours of meeting

    FG, resident doctors reach an agreement after long hours of meeting

    The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Action, MoA, with the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, to avert the planned nationwide strike of resident doctors billed to commence Thursday, April 1.

    The agreement was signed at midnight on Wednesday after a marathon meeting between the government team and the leadership of NARD at the office of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige.

    The meeting, which lasted seven hours, deliberated on the issues raised by the aggrieved doctors in their Notice of Trade Dispute including the non-payment of salaries of some house officers.

    Other sore points were non-recruitment of house officers, abolishment of the bench fees for doctors undergoing training in other hospitals, non-payment of national minimum wage and hazard allowances. Briefing journalists on the outcome, Ngige assured that all the things written in the MoA will be implemented. He said: “Twelve hours is a lot of time. Everybody will be working. Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) will be working.

    “And hopefully by tomorrow (Friday), you will experience the payment as agreed here for the second category of doctors (an overflow of the MDCN quota).

    We hope it must happen tomorrow and continue. “So, by the time the chairman of the CMDs comes up with his final list and harmonise it with MDCN, we won’t have issues anymore over this payment or whether some doctors have not been paid.”

    With regards to other issues raised by the doctors at the meeting, Ngige explained that timelines have been put on them, the reason why they were going to reconvene in one month’s time to look at the assignments given, to know who performed and who has not performed.

    “And with this MOA, we hope you get to your members to let them understand better that government has moved proactively to address most of the issues ahead of your coming.”

    According to the Minister, what the government side has done means that they have arrested the impending industrial dispute of the doctors and the issues in contention being addressed.

    “We are happy that you understand. So, I give you the assurance that most of the things written here will be done. “We will assist the Federal Ministry of Health, Finance Ministry and Office of Accountant-General of the Federation to make sure that they keep to their own side of the bargain.

    “The MoA says that you will talk to your people and we hope that when you come to collect your own copy tomorrow, you can tell the nation that you people are not strike mongers and that you are happy with the decisions taken so far.”

    Others members of the government team at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz Mashi; his Labour and Employment counterpart, Peter Tarfa; representatives of the OAGF, MDCN and the National Salaries, Wages and Incomes Commission.

  • Resident doctors to commence indefinite strike on April 1

    Resident doctors to commence indefinite strike on April 1

    Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) will begin what it called a “total and indefinite strike” on Thursday, April 1, except the Federal Government moves swiftly to stop the industrial action.

    Already, the Nationsl Executive Council (NEC) of NARD had unanimously agreed to proceed on the strike by Thursday if their demands are not met.

    The decision to go on strike was made after an extraordinary NEC meeting held on Saturday at the Trauma Centre, National Hospital, Abuja.

     

    The NEC was held to review its earlier ultimatum and deliberate on issues affecting Residency Training, Healthcore Delivery and the welfare of its members across the country.

    According to a communique issued after the meeting, the NEC observed that its earlier ultimatum given to the Federal Government during its January NEC meeting in Owerri, Imo State, will expire by March 31, with no significant achievement.

    In the communique signed by the NARD President, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi; the Secretary, Dr. Jerry Isogun and the Publicity Secretary, Dr. Dotun Osikoya, the NEC reiterated the full support of NARD for the central placement of house officers.

    “Nevertheless, we decry the agony our members have been made to pass through for three months now without salaries despite uninterrupted service delivery to the nation. This is due to the inefficiency of the Registrar of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) in handling the processes of central placement of House Officers as approved by the Federal Executive Council since 2017,” the communique said.

    The communique added: “The NEC unanimously agreed that NARD should proceed on a total and indefinite strike on the 1st of April 2021, by 8:00 a.m. if the following demands are not met.”

    Some of the demands include immediate payment of all salaries owed to all house officers including March salaries, regardless of quota system, before the end of business on 31st of March 2021:

    “Immediate payment of all salaries arrears including March salaries for our members in all Federal (GOFMIS platform) and state tertiary health institutions across the country especially ASUTH, IMSITH and UNIMEDTH.

    “Upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance especially in state-owned tertiary institutions.”

    BREAKING: Resident doctors declare “total and indefinite strike”, to begin from April 1

  • 70 per cent of doctors infected with COVID-19, NARD raises alarm

    70 per cent of doctors infected with COVID-19, NARD raises alarm

    The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Sunday raised the alarm that almost 70 per cent of its members in “clinical practice” had contracted COVID-19.

    The association blamed the development on lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for its members and non-disclosure of true symptoms of sickness by people seeking treatment.

    To show how bad the situation is, NARD lamented that “almost all the doctors in the UCH Pediatrics Department, Lafia in Nasarawa State, had been infected with COVID-19.”

    The association called on the government to come up with policies that would make it unlawful for patients to hide their medical conditions.

    NARD’s First Vice President, Dr Adejo Arome, stated this at the weekend.

    Also at the weekend the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) named Edo as the state with second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the country.

    Arome, featuring on a television programme painted a sordid picture of the challenges facing doctors in this pandemic era.

    He said he had been personally exposed to COVID-19 but could not be tested due to lack access to a testing facility.

    Arome who, also lamented that some hospitals do not only lack hand gloves, they give one face mask to each of their doctors to use for two days.

    The NARD First Vice-President said: “I must tell you that the morale of doctors is very low at this point in time. It is so disheartening that the number of health workers being infected with COVID-19 is increasing daily, and it seems that nothing is being done to reduce this number.

    “Apart from that, I just heard that almost all the doctors in UCH pediatric department, Lafia, have been infected. And it is like that every day.

    “In fact, right now, I believe that every doctor in clinical practice right now should have been exposed to covid-19. I was on treatment, although I did not have the test done because I could not have access to the test.

    “Almost every doctor in clinical practice has been exposed and I can tell you that more than 70 percent of us have been infected because we don’t do tests, so we don’t know. You cannot just come and tell me that the rate of infection is low when we are not doing enough tests.

    “Apart from PPE, patients do not come out truthfully to tell us their symptoms because almost everybody now knows what the symptoms of COVID-19 are.

    “I think it is high time the Federal Government stepped up and brought out policies that will make it unlawful for patients and their relatives to come to the hospital and lie to doctors because by so doing, they are currently exposing us and our families.

    “And to think of it, we have no insurance, and our hazard allowance is just mere N5,000. This is pathetic and very sad.

    “In a pandemic, every patient coming into your consulting room is suspected to have COVID-19 until proven otherwise. But the truth is when we don’t have everything that we need to work with, you don’t expect the doctor that is treating the patients not to examine them.

    “You will go to some hospitals and they will give a doctor one face mask for two days. You don’t even have gloves. You keep on writing prescriptions for patients to buy gloves and you as a doctor will feel bad because some people don’t even have food to eat, so why should you be writing them prescriptions to be buying gloves?

    “Based on human sympathy, at the end of the day you will forget what it takes to keep yourself safe and by so doing, you end up exposing yourself.

    “Once one of us gets exposed, that person ends up exposing more than 4,000 patients because the doctor-patient ratio in this country is one to about 4,000 patients.”

    The weekly epidemiological report of COVID-19 situation by the NCDC shows that Edo State recorded 127( 8.9 per cent) deaths out the 1,435 so far in the country.

    Lagos has the highest number of 271 (18.9 per cent), while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has 118 (8.2 per cent).

  • FG urges Resident Doctors to suspend strike

    FG urges Resident Doctors to suspend strike

    The Federal Government on Tuesday, urged the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), to suspend its ongoing industrial action across the country.

    Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment said this in a statement signed by Mr Charles Akpan, Deputy Director, Head, Press and Public Relations in Abuja.

    Ngige said that it was imperative for NARD to suspend the industrial action as government had already addressed six out of the eight demands listed by the association.

    He said government will reconvene a conciliation meeting between NARD and Federal Ministries of Health, and Finance, Budget and National Planning on Wednesday at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to avert the ongoing strike.

    According to Ngige, by Labour Laws and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions, when issues are being conciliated, all parties are enjoined not to employ arm-twisting methods to intimidate or foist a state of helplessness on the other party; in this case, your employers, the Federal Ministry of Health.

    He, therefore, appealed NARD to respect the country’s laws and suspend its industrial action, while noting that a high percentage of the Association’s demands had already been addressed.

    “This is coupled with the existence of a pending case in the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) instituted by two Civil Society groups against NARD, the Attorney -General of the Federation, and the Ministers of Health, and Labour and Employment.

    “NARD had no reason to embark on an industrial action, ”he said.

    He also stated that the groups, Citizens Advocacy for Social Rights (CASER) and Association of Women in Trading and Agriculture (AWITA), had also asked for an interlocutory injunction against further strike by NARD.

    He added that all the parties had already appeared and exchanged court processes.

    Ngige said that in spite of lean resources occasioned by the effect of COVID-19 on oil output, the federal government had already spent N20 billion on the Special Hazard and Inducement Allowances for Medical and Health Workers for April, May and June 2020, with a few outstanding payments to some health workers for June 2020.

    He also said that the federal government has expended N9.3 billion as premium for Group Life Insurance for Medical and Health workers, as well as for all civil and public servants in federal organisations that are Treasury funded, to run from March 2020 to March 2021.

    He disclosed that the federal fovernment have appropriated the sum of N4 billion in the Special Intervention COVID-19, while N500 billion in 2020 appropriation for the funding of Medical Residency Training and intended to do same in the ongoing 2021 Budget.

    The minister further stated that N4 billion has been processed for payment.

    Ngige also said that the matter between NARD and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital has been resolved, while the resolution of the issue of State Governments not addressing the consequential adjustment to the new minimum wage, and low patronage of Residency programme were ongoing.

    He said plans were on for the conciliation meeting between NARD and Federal Ministries of Health, and Finance, Budget and National Planning to be held on Wednesday at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

  • Why we called off strike – Resident doctors

    …FG carpets resident doctors, says strike needless

    The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Sunday suspended its indefinite strike which started on June 15, following a meeting between the association and Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in Abuja.

    NARD President, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, who announced this while addressing a news conference in Abuja, said “NEC has resolved to suspend the ongoing indefinite strike with effect from Monday June 22, 2020 by 8a.m. prompt.

    “The national officers shall continue negotiations with stakeholders and progress made shall be reviewed in four weeks during the next National Executive Council meeting in July 2020.

    “The decision to suspend the strike was taken in order to give the Federal and State Governments time to fulfill the outstanding demands following an appeal by the Speaker of House of Representative, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chairman Nigeria Governors Forum and other stakeholder”.

    He acknowledged the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in some hospitals but said there were still need for sustained supplies.

    The president also announced that the Medical Residency Training fund had been included in the revised 2020 budget through the intervention of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and would be implemented as soon as the budget was assented to by the President.

    He, however, gave the Federal Government four weeks to make good its promises.

    “At the same time, we await the fulfillment of the promise made by the Nigeria Governors Forum to ensure same is done in all the states.

    “On the salary shortfall for 2014-2016, The Secretary to the Government of the federation has promised to intervene.

    “Government has shown commitment to secure group life insurance for health workers. That the disengaged resident doctors at Jos University Teaching Hospital have been reinstated, the Chief Medical Director has been directed to pay their withheld salaries and comply with the provisions of the Medical Residency.

    “On State Tertiary Health Institutions (STHIs), the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum Gov. Kayode Fayemi and the Director General Mr Asishana Okauru, appealed to be given time to discuss with other state Governors of Kogi, Gombe, Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, kaduna, Nasarawa , Enugu, Anabara, Abia and Imo for immediate pay parity with the corrected CONMESS of 2019 and that salary shortfalls due our members will be paid shortly.

    “NARD also met with Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo state who also gave his words to favourably look into all challenges of our members in LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso with a view to abiding by the international standard.

    “That the Executive Governors of Delta and Benue from reports by our members have been supportive although more needs to be done.

    “NEC observed that COVID-19 inducement allowance has only been paid to 11 federal health institutions and most state governments are yet to review the hazard allowance of health workers,” he said.

    FG carpets Resident Doctors, says strike needless

    Meanwhile, the federal government has said the strike by the NARD was “needless and insensitive” because issues raised by the association had received attention.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made this known at a media briefing on Sunday in Abuja.

    The briefing was jointly addressed by Mohammed and Ministers of Health,Mr Osagie Ehanire, Labour and Employment, Mr Chris Ngige.

    Mohammed noted that the strike embarked upon by the Doctors since June 12 was uncalled for, considering the facts the government had responded to their needs and requests.

    “It is pertinent to say that the issues raised by the association while issuing its ultimatum on June 1, have received or are receiving full attention,” he said

    Specifically, the minister said that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) have been supplied to all States and Federal Tertiary Hospitals and funds for the same were being provided in the revised 2020 budget.

    He said the implementation of the Residency Training programme was backed by the National Assembly, which provided ₦4 billion in the revised 2020 budget.

    “We have paid N9 billion as premium for Group Life Insurance to all our health workers and over N4.6 billion as Special Hazard Allowance to health workers as already acknowledged in at least 35 hospitals.

    “In summary, a total of 55,031 health workers have been paid comprising of 23 COVID-19 designated Hospitals and Medical Centres and 8 non-COVID-19 designated centres amounting to over N7.9 billion,” he said

    He added that other matters relating to non-payment of arrears dating back as 2014 or salaries owed by State Governments, were either in court, or beyond the power of the Federal Ministry of Health to resolve.

    On addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the minister said apart from the provision of PPEs and other equipment, the federal government expanded testing laboratories from two to 38.

    He said government have trained over 13,000 health workers on Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) as well as developed policy and protocols for testing returning Nigerians.

    Mohammed said government has evolved policies and protocols for integration of primary healthcare into national response and increased isolation centre bed space from 3,000 to more than 5,000 nationwide.

    The minister expressed concerns that the doctors still opted for the strike ins pite of addressing all issues raised and negotiations facilitated by the National Assembly.

    “We must express the government’s consternation that resident doctors will choose a time like this, when we are battling a pandemic, to embark on a strike.

    “This negates what obtains in other parts of the world, where health workers are rallying around their governments to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Nigeria must be among, if not the only nation, where doctors – who are classified as essential workers – have opted for a strike during a national health emergency,” he said

    Mohammed noted that, though many options were opened to the federal government in tackling the strike, yet it chose negotiation over confrontation.

    On his part, Ngige said it was a dire time for any sector, particularly the heath sector to embark on strike.

    He re-echoed that all issues raised by the Doctors had been met by the Government and they should have trust in the Federal Ministry of Health.

    The minister disclosed that the leadership of NARD contacted him by midnight and hinted on the suspension of the strike.

    Speaking in the same vein, Ehanire said it was not time for acrimony and all hands must be on deck for the country to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and salvage the health sector.

  • BREAKING: Resident doctors call off nationwide strike

    The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended the nationwide strike with effect from Monday 22, June 2020.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports NARD announced the suspension on Sunday in Abuja after a meeting by its National Executive Council meeting.

    According to NARD’s President, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, the association took the decision in order to allow the government time to fulfill outstanding demands.

     

    Details shortly…

  • NARD exempts doctors treating COVID-19 from 2-week strike

    The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) has exempted doctors treating COVID-19 patients at designated treatment and isolation centres from its two weeks industrial action commencing on Monday midnight.

    NARD President, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, during a press briefing on decisions taken at the virtual extra ordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the NARD on Sunday.

    He said that the virtual meeting was held to review the 14 days ultimatum issued to government which elapsed two days ago.

    Sokomba said that the exemption was in recognition of the intervention of Hon. Tanko Sanunu, Chairman House Committee on Health Services, other stakeholders and a demonstration of NARD goodwill to the country.

    The president appealed to Nigerians to bear and understand with the association.

    Sokomba said that the demands include the provision of the inadequate appropriate personal protective equipment for all healthcare workers.

    According to him, other demands include “universal implementation of medical residency training act in all federal and state hospitals and ensuring pay parity among doctors of equal cadre, provision of funding of medical residency training in the 2021 appropriation bill.

    “Immediate implementation of the revised hazard allowance and payment of the COVID-19 inducement allowance agreed with the government and healthcare workers three months ago.

    “Stoppage and immediate refund of all illegal, unjust and callous cut in salaries of our members by Kaduna State and other state governments,” Sokomba said.

    He disclosed that the meeting was attended by over 500 members of the association.