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Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
President, National Association of Residents Doctors (NARD), Oyo State, Adedayo Williams, yesterday said there is a total compliance by members of the association with the ongoing nationwide strike.
Speaking with journalists in Ibadan, he said some patients in critical conditions, admitted before the commencement of the strike were still being given attention.
“Our aim was not to endanger the lives of our patients, but we don’t want government to play games with us because a frustrated doctor will not able to concentrate and likely be an unstable doctor, even more dangerous,” he said.
Williams, however, vowed there is no going back on the ongoing strike until the Federal Government met their demands, adding that though a meeting has been scheduled for today between representatives of the government and the association, NARD would not call off the strike on a promissory note.
He said some of their demands were met after the last agitation, saying there is need for the government to dialogue with resident doctors and sort things out.
The demands, according to him, include provision of genuine group life insurance and death in service benefit for all workers, immediate payment of the medical residency training funding to its members as approved in the reversed 2020 budget, immediate payment of the outstanding April/May and June COVID-19 inducement allowance to health workers, determination of the revised hazard allowance for health workers as agreed in previous meetings with relevant stakeholders.
Williams also listed as part of the demands, “immediate payment of the salary shortfalls of 2014, 2015 and 2016, doctors working under the various tertiary institutions should be placed on appropriate salary grade level and universal implementation of the Medical Residency Training Act of 2017 in state tertiary institutions, and payment of arrears owed our members in federal and state tertiary health institutions, arising from consequential adjustments of the national minimum wages.”
