Resident doctors reached a resolution at a virtual E-NEC to evaluate the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the government on May 19, 2023, following a five-day warning strike. The communiqué was co-signed by NARD President Orji Innocent, Secretary General Chikezie Kelechi, and Publicity and Social Secretary Umar Musa.
NARD asked the government to immediately pay all outstanding arrears that it has accumulated for its members, which include hazard allowance and skip fees between 2014 and 2016, as well as those of consequential wage adjustments. Doctors argue that there is no justification for the government’s continued failure to pay their wages and allowances.
The NEC demands the immediate release of guidelines for one-for-one clinical staff replacement to address the massive manpower shortage in hospitals nationwide. It also calls on the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to discontinue downgrading membership certificates issued by West African Postgraduate Medical and Surgical colleges, as they are not available in other parts of West Africa.
NEC demands immediate payment of salary arrears, implementation of the CONMESS salary structure, a new Hazard Allowance, and a medical residency training fund for State Tertiary Health Institutions nationwide. NEC extends an expired ultimatum to the government by 2 weeks, starting July 5th, 2023.
NARD’s NEC demands a 200% increase in CONMESS’s salary structure and an upward review of allowances. Economic realities cannot justify continued payments, and failure to meet these demands by July 19th, 2023, will hinder industrial harmony in the Health Sector.
