JUST IN: Nigerian Resident Doctors Call Off Strike

By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called off its nine-week-old strike and is set to resume work on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.

The industrial action, which took effect in August, was a result of the disagreement that ensued between the federal government and the doctors’ union over the non-availability of medical equipment at public tertiary hospitals and others.

The resolution to suspend the strike was an outcome of the emergency National Executive Council meeting held at the Royal Choice Inn, Central Business District, Abuja on Sunday, among delegates of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and NARD.

The seven-hour meeting had in attendance members of the National Officers Committee (NOC), past presidents, past secretaries-general, presidents and national officers of affiliates, chairmen of the 36 state branches, and their delegates.

The information on the suspension was disclosed in a statement issued at the end of an emergency delegates meeting titled Resolutions of the emergency delegates meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association and signed by the general secretary of the Nigerian resident doctors, Mr Philips Ekpe.

According to the statement, “The meeting, which had as its only agenda; Review of progress of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Nigerian Medical Association, was presided over by the president of the NMA, Prof. Innocent Ujah.

“Highlights of the resolutions of the meeting included a mandate to the NOC to ensure speedy implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the Federal Government of Nigeria on the 21st of August, 2021 and advised NARD to suspend their strike in view of the ongoing intervention by NMA.”

According to NARD president, Mr Godiya Ishaya,  the association has officially called off the strike.

“We’ve officially suspended the strike to resume at 8:00 am on Wednesday. We made the decision in the wee hours of today.

“We held an emergency meeting from 5:30 pm on Sunday to the morning hours of today, and the NEC decided that having reviewed the progress made so far, the strike should be suspended,” he said.

The doctors’ strike, which almost paralyzed the health sector and left patients stranded, was sustained for two months before the recent resolution.