The President, Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife chapter, Dr. Anthony Anuforo, has assured the
citizenry that immediately the Federal Government pays members’ salaries, their current strike will be called off.
Anuforo gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Ile-Ife.
He said NARD Ile-Ife branch had been engaging the university management since March 2023 when they called their attention to unpaid salaries, adding that some of them had been owed since January 2023.
The NARD President hailed the efforts of the former interim association for trying its best to get the salaries paid and pledged that his team would strive further to get the salaries paid.
According to him, there are unpaid hazards allowances since 2017, COVID-19 allowances, and salary arrears, among others.
Anuforo called on stakeholders to intervene in the matter to get the university management “to pay our members”.
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He noted that the ultimatum given to the Federal Government on resident doctors’ national strike ends on Wednesday, but regrets that their demands have not been met.
Anuforo said the present NARD management that took the mantle for the past two weeks, was doing all in its capacity to ensure the payment of owed salaries.
“I believe the strike will give the Federal Government the momentum to expedite action on the payment and other allowances.
“The government should do its best on the health sector by increasing the budgetary allocation for health,” Anuforo said.
He pleaded with the populace for understanding, saying the strike was for the benefit of doctors and patients because a hungry and angry doctor is a dangerous doctor.
“Let government take care of members of the association, then the doctors will in turn take care of patients,” Anuforo said.
NAN reports that while the strike is on, only consultants are attending to patients.