Resident Doctors To Begin 3-Day Warning Strike

NAN

The National Association of Resident Doctors(NARD) on Tuesday threatened to begin a three-day warning strike from June 2, if the Federal Government fails to resolve issues affecting its members.

The National President, Dr Jibril Abdullahi, said at a news conference in Abuja after its ordinary general meeting that some of the main issues were residency training and re-integration of its members into the IPPIS.

Others are payment of three months’ salary arrears owed doctors in Federal Medical Centre Owerri, failure to implement the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and eroding of the recent relativity restored by the latter after a distortion of over 20 years.

“The ordinary meeting of NARD resolved that the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Health should as a matter of urgency take all necessary steps towards formalising the report of the inter-agency committee on residency training.

“That in the interest of harmony in Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, the government should pay the salaries of our members as agreed on Oct. 21, 2013.

“That concrete measures must be put in place for the reintegration of our members back into the IPPIS platform. “Sequel to the above NARD is hereby giving the government of Nigeria a grace period of up to the end of June 2014 to resolve these issues; otherwise, we will have no option but to withdraw our services from the July 1.

“In furtherance to this, our members agreed to commence withdrawal of services for just three days starting from June 2, 2014 until June 4, 2014.