Resident Doctors Call-off Nationwide Protest After Senate Intervention

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, has suspended its planned nationwide protest after a closed-door meeting with principal officers of the senate on Tuesday, August 8.

Disclosing the development to newsmen, the President of NARD, Emeka Orji, said there will be a review in the next 72 hours.

“We met with the Senate president, majority and minority leaders and Whip. So, the planned protest slated for Wednesday has been suspended and we will review it again in 72 hours.”

The striking doctors had earlier planned to commence a daily peaceful protest, starting from Wednesday, if the government fails to meet its demands. The decision followed the directive by the Federal Government to the Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of federal tertiary hospitals to commence the enforcement of the “no work, no pay” policy against the striking doctors.

The doctors embarked on an indefinite industrial action on July 26, following the failure of the government to meet their demands.

Among the demands of the aggrieved doctors include the implementation of the one-for-one replacement policy for healthcare workers; the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to discontinue the downgrading of the membership certificate issued by the West African Postgraduate Medical and Surgical Colleges; the immediate payment of all salary arrears; the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure; a new hazard allowance; and the domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act.