Doctors, under the auspices of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have continued with strike despite payment of their outstanding salary arrears by the Federal Government, on Wednesday.
The doctors had embarked on strike last week Wednesday over some outstanding issues with federal government, including nonpayment of their outstanding salary arrears.
Although they confirmed payment already received by some of their members, they were unmoved to call off the strike.
They insisted on continuing with their strike because of what the association called “insincerity of the government to meet our demands”
The Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Chris Ngige and his Health counterpart Dr. Osagie Ehanire had on Wednesday met with the leadership of the association to call off the strike.
The minister in a statement shortly after the meeting said: “We have tried our best to address the issues raised. As at today, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) has paid the salary arrears of over 1,000 House Officers including those illegally recruited.
“The MDCN has been asked to open recruitment portal. We are appealing to the NARD to call off its strike. In fact, House Officers are not members of NARD.”
But in a communique on Wednesday the NARD described the minister’s statement as “spurious misinformation”.
The NARD, in a communique on Wednesday, admitted that some house officers have been paid, but said many of them are yet to be paid.
It said other demands, such as: ” upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, payment of death in service insurance for all health workers who died as a result of COVID-19 infection or other infectious diseases, among other demands are yet to be met.
