TheCable

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended of its 10-day-old strike for two weeks to monitor the level of federal government’s compliance with the agreement reached.

The two weeks period is to afford the doctors enough time to further discuss with the federal government to arrive at final solutions to the contentious issues.

The doctors would, however, resume the strike if the discussion with the government fails.

The national executive council (NEC) of NARD took the decision at its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday night to appraise the implementation of its agreement with the government.

The chairman of NARD UCH chapter, Segun Olaopa, said “the decision was reached following appeals from the public that the doctors should give the federal government more time to meet their demands”.

Doctors had appealed to Nigerians to bear the situation as members of the association were pressing government to improve the healthcare delivery system in the country.

NARD embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike to press home a six-point demand.

The association had on September 6 laid out terms of settlement with the federal government after the two parties met to resolve the crisis.

The doctors are protesting the sack of some of their colleagues, non-payment of “skipping’’ entitlement, non-inclusion in the IPPIS platform and non-payment of their salary arrears.

The federal government had agreed it will pay the arrears and commence the inclusion of NARD members on the IPPIS platform.

Arikawe Adeolu, a member of the national executive council of NARD, had said the association was waiting on the federal government to redeem its pledge before the strike could be called off.

Adeolu said that more than half of members of the association were yet to receive their arrears, claiming that government is also yet to meet its other demands in the terms of settlement.

He said that the association would therefore hold a meeting to assess the response of government to its demands.