The Federal Government has increased the aggregate funds in the 2022 budget for hazard allowance of resident doctors from N40 billion to N47 billion annually, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, has said.
He said this when he received members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and executive members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at his office on Wednesday, in Abuja.
The contention about allowances, such as the medical residency training fund (MRTF), and special COVID-19 allowances, forced the doctors to embark on a two months strike, which was called off on September 5.
The minister said the recent strike would not have degenerated if NARD’s previous leadership had given its members correct information about the issues on the ground.
He said the federal government was not indebted to any doctor since August 2 when NARD embarked on the strike.
The minister assured the doctors that all the contentious issues were being addressed.
