A medical doctor | File photo
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given the federal government an additional 24 hours to meet its demands, following the expiration of an earlier 10-day ultimatum.
Speaking to TheCable on Thursday, Tope Osundara, NARD president, said the decision was taken after a meeting of the association’s national executive council (NEC).
Resident doctors are medical school graduates training as specialists. They dominate the emergency wards of hospitals in Nigeria and are crucial to quality healthcare delivery nationwide.
The doctors are demanding payment of the 2025 medical residency training fund (MRTF), settlement of 2024 accoutrement allowance arrears, and clearance of five months’ outstanding arrears from the 25 percent/35 percent consolidated medical salary structure review.
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They are also asking the federal government to reverse the downgrade of membership certificates of the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
“A 24-hour extension of the ultimatum has been given and the concerns are still the same,” Osundara said.
“It’s majorly about welfare. We also have issues of shortage of manpower in almost all healthcare centres and facilities across the nation.”
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On the immediate steps expected from the government, he said: “The low-hanging fruits are the MRTF 2025, correction of the downgrading of membership certificate, and the payment of our 2024 accoutrement allowance arrears. These are things the government can do within 24 hours.”
Meanwhile, the Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCT), is currently on a seven-day warning strike over what it described as the collapse of the city’s health system.
