Healthcare: NARD affirms strike continues until government yields to demands

*Dr. Emeka Oji, President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, however, says the National Executive Committee appeals to the Federal and state governments to urgently resolve the demands ‘to forestall the further escalation of the ongoing industrial disharmony in the health sector nationwide’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In continuation of what the medial professionals have described as ‘total and indefinite strike’, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has restated its position to   down tools, insisting that the Federal Government has yet to accept its list of demands.

ConsumerConnect reports Dr. Emeka Oji, President of NARD, who stated this during a press conference at the weekend in Lagos, said the Association reviewed the industrial action earlier declared last week, and pledged to continue the nationwide strike.

The President of NARD stressed the industrial action would continue “until reasonable progress is made by the government to address our demands as contained in the ultimatum issued to the Federal Government on the 15th of July, 2023.”

Restating the Association’s demands, Dr. Oji said the National Executive Committee (NEC) yet appealed that the Federal and state governments urgently resolve the demands “to forestall the further escalation of the ongoing industrial disharmony in the health sector nationwide.”

NARD represents about 15,000 Resident Doctors out of a total of over 40,000 doctors in the country.

However, report indicates the Union seems to be alone in the struggle as its parent body, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is not on strike as of now.

But Oji stated: “We’re still engaging NMA and we’ll continue to engage the Nigerian Medical Association.

“We also call on our members in the states – that was part of our resolution – that members in the states should also engage their state officers committee of the Nigerian Medical Association because we believe that it would be difficult for NARD to do this in isolation.

“And so, we continue to engage NMA on these issues.”