Residents Doctors Urge Abia, Kaduna, and Enugu States to Clear All Salary Backlogs
Residents Doctors Urge Abia, Kaduna, and Enugu States to Clear All Salary Backlogs
By: Femi Mustapha
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called on the Governors of Abia, Kaduna, Enugu, and other states where its members’ welfare is neglected to, as a matter of urgency, look into these challenges and clear all salary backlogs, pay promotion arrears.
This was contained in a communique issued after the NEC meeting, tagged “LasGIDI 2023,” hosted by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos.
The communique, signed by Dr. Orji Emeka Innocent, Dr. Chikezie Kelechi O., Dr. Umar Musa (President, Secretary-General, and Publicity and Social Secretary respectively), stated that their states should also adopt and review the CONMESS salary structure, review the hazard allowance, domesticate the medical residency training Act, as well as pay the MRTF using the new circular issued by NSIWC in January 2023, as was done by their counterparts in Delta, Benue.
The NARD NEC also resolved in the communique to continue the ongoing nationwide total and indefinite strike action until reasonable progress is made by the government to address their demands contained in the ultimatum issued to the federal government on the 5th of July 2023.
The communique further stated that the Association demands immediate release of the circular on the One-for-One policy for the replacement of existing clinical workers for implementation, as they cannot continue to watch their members lose their lives and break down under the weight of work overload occasioned by the massive depletion of clinical staff in hospitals on account of brain drain.
“NEC demands as a matter of urgency, the immediate payment of the 2023 medical residency training fund (MRTF).
“We demand the payment of all salaries and arrears, including the salary arrears of 2014-2016, arrears of hazard allowance, arrears of consequential adjustment of the minimum wage, and promotion arrears to our deserving members without further delay.
“We call on the MDCN to reverse itself on the downgrading of the membership certificate as this is an ill wind that blows no one good, adding that continuing on this path would only reduce the value placed on postgraduate medical training in Nigeria.
“We vehemently reject the paltry 25% increment in the basic salary of doctors as well as the accouterment allowance, adding that our earlier demand is for full restoration of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to its right value as at the time of the approval of the structure in 2009.
“We vehemently reject the casualization of doctors under any guise in all Tertiary health institutions in Nigeria, warning that this could be a subject of industrial action shortly if not nipped in the bud now.
“We call for the immediate unconditional release of our trainer, Prof. Ekanem Philip-Ephraim of UCTH Calabar, and call on the government to beef up security in the country to forestall such occurrences.
“NEC will also persuade the federal government to consider ways of placating Nigerians who have to grapple daily with the burden of living in the post-subsidy era, while calling on the government to ensure that savings from the subsidy removal would be prudently utilized for the common good.”
The NEC expressed its thankfulness to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. George Akume, Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, and Dr. Mrs. Folashade Yemi-Esan, Head of Service of the Federation for their efforts towards an amicable settlement of all grievances.
