The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) says it has served the Federal Government with a 21-day notice to meet their demands or face an indefinite strike.

Dr Muhammad Askira, President of the association, disclosed this at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.

Askira said that the ultimatum took effect from April 4.
According to him, the resolution was reached by members of the association at the end of its extra ordinary executive council.

He listed some of their demands to include payments of members’ salaries till date, appropriate placement of members in both states and federal tertiary hospitals across the nation.

Others were the reversal of sacked members in some hospitals as well as appropriate funding of residency training programme.

Askira noted that some of their members in states tertiary hospitals in Osun, Imo, Ekiti, Abia and Kogi, among others, have not been paid salaries ranging from three to eight months, adding that labourers deserved their wages.

He described that of Osun state government as worrisome, noting that it has remained at ease in spite of the total collapse of the healthcare delivery in the state and its attendant loss of lives.

Askira, however, urged the government to adequately fund hospitals at all levels and upgrade existing facilities in public hospitals in line with internationals best practices.

The president said that upgrading public health facilities would go a long way in curbing medical tourism.

“NARD will no longer tolerate the undue sack of resident doctors and demands immediate reversal of such, and urge government at all levels to strictly comply with pension deductions act as amended in 2014.

“We urged the government to ensure appropriate and adequate remuneration of our members at various hospitals,’’ Askira said.

Reacting to the health minister’s threat that any health worker that engaged in industrial harmony would forfeit his salary, Askira noted that the first thing should be penalty work without pay before such penalty.

Askira requested the minister to disclose penalties for work without pay before the penalty for no work no pay.

He said resident doctors would help politicians deliver democratic dividends, describing anybody that denied them their entitlement is an enemy of Nigerians.

“My only concern is the situation whereby the government allows people to go on strike.

“Looking at our demands they are solely the responsibilities of the government; at the moment doctors in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Irrua and FMC Owerri have not been paid their December salaries.

“Residents doctors work all day and night meeting the health needs of ordinary Nigerians that come to us for consultation.

“When a big man in Abuja is involved in an accident or whatsoever we are the first to receive him; then why this maltreatment?

“The only way any democratic dividend will reach a Nigerian is through us and anybody that stops us from receiving our entitlement is an enemy of Nigerian people, and if we continue in this way then they are not ready for a change,’’ he said. (NAN)

SOURCE

please take note of the bolded.
yes,there must be a penalty for striking.......no work no pay BUT before that what is the penalty for working without pay since december for many federal teaching hospitals?

So before nigerians jump on this thread to insult and curse the doctors, please ASK why they are going on strike.

i have never gotten free fuel because im a doctor.
i have never gotten things free from the market because i am a doctor.
are doctors not human beings? people who put life above everything else are being owed and people see no problems with it.

For the APC trolls ready to jump in to accuse NARD of trying to embarass the FG,the current president of NARD is a northerner.

mods,front page please. thanks

You guys are beginning to get it right. Before you go on strike, you must always carry the public along, otherwise they'll see you guys as the enemies, instead of the thieves at Aso Rock and all the state government offices.
I'm a doctor also, though not in the public sector, and even though I quite agree with all the reasons for previous strikes, I have never really supported them because of the way they were executed. When the public just wakes up to a closed up hospital, be it in the form of a warning or actual strike, you can't blame them for thinking the doctors are at it again, fighting for their pockets, not caring for the lives of the masses.

But with these kinds of sensitization campaigns, I doubt if any sane person will fault the doctor for going on strike...

Sicilian....I agree BUT even with the sensitization campaigns,Nigerians believe doctors should never go on strike even though you've not been paid for 1 year. It's a pity really.
Trust me, NIGERIANS do not like their doctors.QED.

Doctors should be well taken care of because it's a security risk not to.
I don't know about you BUT I'll never allow myself to go under the knife of a doctor who has not been paid for months,thinking of school fees,fuel,food.....

Boss. How Upth.



Any circular to this. If I didn't log in and followed you I wouldn't have heard.


Meanwhile......



Another strike loading. ....

Another round of strikes, I think the best thing I did was to resign from government employment and go private. This way when I work I get paid.

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