Suspend planned strike for mediation, Speaker Abbas urges Resident Doctors

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abbas on Monday urged the members of the National Association of Resident Doctors(NARD) to shelf their planned industrial action and allowed the House to meditate in matters at stake

The Speaker, who made the request at a meeting with the leadership of the Medical Doctors in Abuja in addition urged them to be realistic in their demands

The Resident Doctors had embarked on warning strike before the inauguration of the current administration demanding a 200 percent increase in their salaries and other associated allowances.

They also want the payment of all salary arrears, implementation of the CONMEAS salary structure and new hazard allowance and domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act and payment of medical residency training fund to its members in state tertiary health facilities among others. After suspending the strike, the doctors issued a fresh two-week ultimatum for the government to meet its demands.

However, Speaker Abbas said the decision of the leadership of the doctors to meet with the House is an affirmation of their faith and confidence in the capacity of the House to intervene and resolve the lingering issues in dispute.

According to him, “this is most reassuring owing to the fact that the 9th Assembly had previously intervened in this matter. We hope to even go beyond the steps and actions taken by the previous House to ensure that we find a lasting resolution to the ever lingering crisis”.

He added further that the House was not unmindful of the many sacrifices resident doctors have continued to make in the nation’s health sector in spite of the many challenges they faced and the poor conditions within which they work.

According to him, while many doctors have left the shores of the country in pursuit of better working conditions, they have chosen to remain behind in service to their fatherland.

He assured them that the House will deploy every legislative instrument available to us to ensure that they are fully compensated and rewarded for this act of patriotism.

After the Speaker”s remarks,, the meeting went into the executive session and still in progress as at the Press time.