The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has served a two-week ultimatum to the Federal and state governments to press home the demands of its members.
NARD President, Dr. Godiya Ishaya, issued the ultimatum at a media briefing organised at the end of the Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the E-NEC meeting, which was hosted by the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) branch, was attended by 79 chapters of the association from state and federal tertiary health institutions across the country.
According to Ishaya, NARD resolved to further extend the ultimatum by another two weeks after observing Federal Government’s efforts as a show of goodwill from the association.
“This, we believe, will give the Federal Government adequate time to substantiate their efforts with results which will avert industrial harmony,” he said.
The NARD president urged the Federal Government to urgently implement and begin payment of the 2022 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) in full to members with the old template, while the shortfalls, to be based on the reviewed template, be computed and incorporated into 2023 budget and paid in arrears.
He added that the union would continue to work closely with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) towards implementation and payment of the new hazard allowance to all affected healthcare workers by the government.
Ishaya regretted the slow pace encountered in the payment of the 2020 MRTF to members who were omitted, while decrying the worsening spate of brain drain in healthcare system leading to a perpetual shortage of manpower with attendant burnout.
“The deplorable situation has led to the shutdown of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo,” he said.
He added that the association was also concerned about the conditions of its members in various stages government-owned hospitals, including Abia, Ekiti, Imo and Ondo.
These, the NARD president said, had remained unchanged, where members are owed salary arrears spanning several months.