National Association of Resident Doctors has declared five days of warning strike starting tomorrow, 11 May to protest what it called “remuneration injustice.”
NARD president Dr Muhammad Askira said at a press briefing in Abuja that its negotiations with government representatives were not satisfactory after President Muhammadu Buhari assurance that their demands would be met.
“There are some processes still ongoing in resolving the impasse. Efforts so far made by government has not yet met our demands with respect to doctors’ pay and residency training,” he said.
NARD’s grievances include non payment of December salaries of doctors at Federal hospitals including UBTH, UCH and LUTH and non implementation of new entry steps for house officers.
Askira also noted that some hospitals still bar doctors from skipping a pay grade unlike non-doctor after a court ruling allowing the practice, adding that arrears that have accrued from years of the practice are yet to be paid to doctors.
The doctors are als not happy that a government committee to consider reintroduction of residency training programme is yet to take off and that its members who were “unfairly sacked are yet to be recalled.”
A scheduled indefinite strike due to start on Tuesday, after an ultimatum that’s run more than 30 days, was shelved in favour of the warning strike.
