The doctors are demanding an immediate increase in the
Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of the
current gross salaries of doctors.
The doctors also want the immediate withdrawal of the bill
seeking to compel medical and dental graduates to render five-year compulsory
services in Nigeria before being granted full licence to practise.
They also want the immediate implementation of CONMESS,
domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act, and review of hazard
allowance by all the state governments, as well as private tertiary health
institutions where any form of residency training is done; among other demands.
Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, the President
of NARD, Dr Emeka Orji, said there had been no counter-offer made by the
government to the doctors’ demands.
Orji said, “The ultimatum is running, and as of today, there
is no counter-offer, and we are hoping that the government will step in before
the end of this week.
“This fight is for Nigerians, and that is why we are not
looking back. We have talked a lot since last year, but unfortunately, it is
making us believe that the Nigerian government will not listen until you get to
the level of escalations that will end up in disharmony, and that is where we
are now.
“All we hear are threats on national television, and each
time they issue these threats on TV, it angers our members the more because if
you are meant to be negotiating on how to resolve the issues and you are going
on TV to issue threats, it means the government is not willing to find a
solution to this. The threats may lead this country to another round of
nationwide industrial crisis in the health sector.”
The NARD President noted that a notice of an extraordinary
executive meeting of the association would be issued to its members at least
three days before the end of the ultimatum.
“The meeting will focus on updating the members of our
demands, if the government has responded and if their response is inadequate,
then we cannot guarantee industrial harmony, but all options are on the table.
If during that briefing, our members feel that nothing has been achieved,
anything can happen,” he added.
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