Resident doctors fault FG’s N11.9bn release, say strike still on

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) says its nationwide strike will continue until the federal government provides clarity on the implementation of its minimum demands.

Speaking with TheCable on Monday, Muhammad Suleiman, NARD president, said they are yet to receive communication from the government.

“We are still waiting to hear from the federal government on how they intend to implement some of the things that we have put in our minimum demand. So, the strike is still on,” he said.

On Saturday, NARD commenced a nationwide “total, comprehensive, and indefinite” strike.

Hours after NARD declared its indefinite strike, the federal government said it would release the sum of N11.99 billion within 72 hours to offset some of the salary and allowance arrears owed to medical professionals in the country.

But the NARD president questioned the figures mentioned, saying the breakdown of funds discussed with the government last week does not add up to N11.9 billion.

“That N11.9 billion… I don’t know what is contained in it. What I know is that the conversation that happened last week was N2.9 billion for accoutrement allowance, N2.4 billion for non-clinical duty — which is even only for consultants; no resident doctor will get that — and another N400 million plus for backlog of COVID-19 allowance, which is for other health workers,” he said.

He added that only a fraction of the total, about N500 million, would directly benefit resident doctors.

“Even if you combine all of that, only accoutrement allowance affects doctors. Even with that allowance, resident doctors will probably just get N500 million out of it, and that’s about N50,000 per person,” he said.

He said the total funds expected for release between Monday and Tuesday stand at around N6 billion, and NARD is yet to receive the disbursement.

“We have not seen the release yet. So, I don’t know where N11.9 billion is coming from, honestly. Perhaps the ministry will explain that,” he added.

THE DEMANDS

The doctors are demanding fair remuneration, payment of salary arrears, improved working conditions, adequate staffing, and the provision of essential medical infrastructure.
Their concerns also include excessive workloads, which they say directly affect the quality of healthcare delivered to Nigerians.

The association is calling for a 200 percent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), full implementation of the new allowances proposed in July 2022, immediate recruitment of clinical staff, and removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks hindering the replacement of exiting doctors.