Doctors’ strike continues as resident doctors reject new MoU

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4 years ago

The ongoing strike by the resident doctors will continue, even as the Federal Government promised to commence implementation of the Memorandum of Understand (MoU) signed with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and other stakeholders in the health sector.

National President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, made this known after the association rejected the new MoU presented by the government after another round of meetings on Friday and Saturday with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), NARD and other stakeholders.

After the closed-door meeting with the Federal Government, Dr Uyilawa, said that NARD refused to sign the MoU that was due to an undisclosed clause, adding that his members were being punished for the failure of those in government.

He said: “We rejected the MoU, we didn’t sign it because we feel we are being punished for the failures of those in government.”

The NARD president said the national strike would continue, while the association would also proceed with the court case, adding, however, that the leadership of NARD would present the new MoU to its members before he could sign the document.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige, stated that all other unions in the negotiation have signed the new agreement, which includes the NMA and the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria.

On his threat to invoke the “no work no pay,” provision, he disclosed that the issue was not discussed at the meeting, disclosing that to ensure an end to the indefinite strike the minister said the Federal Government will commence the implementation of the MOU with the NMA today (Monday).

Ngige explained that the parties had reached agreements on all the 12 disputed issues, adding that implementation would start from the next working day (Monday).

Regarding the issue of non-payment of some house officers, the Minister said NARD is expected to submit the list of the affected 114 officers for further verification and when confirmed that they are genuine, and their IPPIS particulars and BVN are in order, they would be paid in September with the outstanding arrears.

He said an agreement was reached on the Residency Training Fund outstanding for 2020 and 2021 after the Budget Office had explained that N617, 429, 121 was outstanding to be paid in 2020.

“There are reconciliations to be done here because 2020 was done with some errors. Some people who are not supposed to benefit from the fund got money and because of that, the number of genuine people that were not paid also came to that quantum of persons.

“So, reconciliation is being done and some monies are being returned. We have given a timeline for this reconciliation to be done.

“And for the 2021, the money approved by Government is N4.802bn. This money like I said earlier was contained in the 2021 Supplementary Budget, which the President signed on the eve of his departure to the UK for the meeting and medical check-up.

“So, between that time and now, it became a money law. The funds have now been sourced and it has gotten from the CBN to the Budget Office where we expect it to be processed in one week as undertaken by the Government side.”

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Doctors’ strike continues as NARD reject new MoU