From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige on Monday said the strike embarked on by the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria was uncalled for as the Federal Government had engaged with health workers in the country over some of the issues raised by the NARD.
The minister blamed the delay in the payment of hazard and inducement allowance to Nigerian health workers on the frontline of the battle against the coronavirus pandemic on the inability of the Office of the Accountant – General of the Federation to conclude paperwork which will enable the health workers to receive their pay through the Integrated Payment and Personnel Information System platform.
Ngige said a meeting with the striking doctors has been called by the government to address their grievances.
The minister said: “We are engaging them because the strike is uncalled for. It is the public holiday that intervened, that’s on Friday so the Accountant – General Office could not conclude paperwork for the payment of the money (hazard allowance) from the IPPIS platform.
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“We are engaging them because the strike is uncalled for. It is the public holiday that intervened, that’s on Friday so the Accountant – General Office could not conclude paperwork for the payment of the money (hazard allowance) from the IPPIS platform.
“We are hopeful that they will conclude it today and by tomorrow they will start receiving their money (payment of hazard allowance) for all the hospitals designated as covid-19 hospitals, which in the main are the teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres in the affected states.
On other issues raised by the union, the minister said: “We are going to engage them tomorrow on those issues because those issues have also been addressed. Maybe those dealing with them at the end centre like the Jos University hospital, maybe they have not finished all the necessary things they needed to do.
“They (university of Jos teaching hospital) are supposed to reinstate the 26 resident doctors that were plucked out from the residency program; they are to reinstate. If their stay has expired they are to retain them as volunteers but if their terms of stay have not expired as the resident doctors association is saying then they will reinstate them to complete their cycle.
“2014 we were not here in government but government is a continuum so if we have discussed that with them before, by tomorrow, we will ask them to bring up the agreement and we will see who is in default.
“We have asked them to do a zoom meeting with me and the minister of health for tomorrow. They should arrange a virtual meeting because we cannot do a physical meeting now.”
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