Resident Doctors Issue 21-Day Ultimatum …As NARD Ends Warning Strike

Barely 24 hours after the three-day warning strike embarked upon by members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) was called off, members of the association  have given the Rivers State Government a 21-day ultimatum to implement agreement reached with the association in the state.
The nationwide warning strike was commenced last Monday.
The Rivers State Chairman of the association Dr. James Krukrubo restated the 21-day ultimatium to the government while speaking to The Tide in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
He said the state government has failed to implement amicable agreement reached with the association in March 2014 over the demands of the association.
The Chairman said the situation in most government hospitals in the state has not changed, stressing that the association has no choice than to issue 21-day notice to the government to fulfil the agreement.
Krukrubo said, at the expiration of the ultimatum, resident doctors would not hesitate to embark on an industrial action to compel the state government to meet their demands.
NARD yesterday resumed work after a three-day warning strike to draw government’s attention to issues affecting its members.
Our correspondent reports that members of the association embarked on the strike over agitation for residency training, re-integration of its members into the IPPIS and payment of salary arrears owed doctors at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.
Another issue in contention is the failure to implement the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
Dr Jibril Abdullahi, National President of NARD, confirmed to newsmen that the doctors had resumed work nationwide.
He expressed hope that the Federal Government would resolve the issues in the next 25 days, adding that the association would embark on indefinite strike in July if the issues were unresolved.
“NARD is hereby giving the government of Nigeria a grace period of up to the end of June to resolve these issues.
“Otherwise, we will have no option than to withdraw our services from July,’’ he said.
Abdullahi said a meeting had been fixed for June 17 between NARD, the Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Budget Office and Salaries and Wages Commission.
“Depending on what the government presents to us on that date, we will decide whether to suspend or go on with our indefinite strike,’’ he said.
Abdullahi said that government had in response to its demands, made part payment of the outstanding salaries of its members at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, and hoped that it would complete the payments.
“It is not our desire to go on strike; all we want is progress,’’ he said.
Dr Frank Nwanodu, NARD’s branch President at the National Hospital, Abuja, told newsmen that the doctors resumed work at 8.00 a.m. yesterday.
Nwanodu, however, called on the federal government to resolve all pending issues with the association.
“We really do not like to go on strike; all we are asking for is what is due to us,’’ he said.

Philip Okparaji