National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has dismissed federal government’s announcement of releasing ₦11.9 billion to address salary and allowance arrears.
Gatekeepers News reports that the association said that the ongoing nationwide strike will continue until their core demands are clearly addressed.
According to NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, stated that the association has not received any official communication from the government explaining how the released funds will be implemented.
Recall that the resident doctors embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike on Saturday. In reaction, the federal government announced plans to release ₦11.99 billion within 72 hours to settle parts of the outstanding arrears owed to medical professionals.
However, Suleiman questioned the accuracy of the figure, stating that the details from last week’s meeting with government representatives did not tally with the ₦11.9 billion mentioned.
He said, “That ₦11.9 billion… I don’t know what is contained in it. What I know is that the conversation that happened last week was ₦2.9 billion for accoutrement allowance, ₦2.4 billion for non-clinical duty — which is only for consultants, not resident doctors — and a little over ₦400 million for COVID-19 allowance backlog, which applies to other health workers.”
According to him, only a small portion of the funds, approximately ₦500 million, would directly benefit resident doctors.
He added, “Even if you combine everything, only the accoutrement allowance affects doctors. Resident doctors may get just about ₦50,000 each from that.”
Suleiman further revealed that the total sum expected for release between Monday and Tuesday was closer to ₦6 billion and that NARD had yet to receive any payment.
He said, “We have not seen the release yet. So, I don’t know where ₦11.9 billion is coming from, honestly. Perhaps the ministry will explain that.”
The striking doctors have listed several demands, including fair remuneration, settlement of salary arrears, better working conditions, improved staffing, and the provision of adequate medical infrastructure. They also decried overwhelming workloads that, according to them, undermine the quality of healthcare in the country.
Additionally, NARD is pushing for a 200 percent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), full implementation of new allowances proposed in July 2022, immediate recruitment of clinical staff, and removal of bureaucratic hurdles that delay the replacement of departing doctors.
