Resident doctors to suspend strike after talks with President’s Chief of Staff

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) is set to call off its planned strike following productive talks with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. A three-hour meeting at the Presidential Villa resulted in agreements on specific timelines for resolving long-standing issues concerning salaries, promotions, and allowances.

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Today, I can tell you, our matters are solved.

NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, expressed optimism after the meeting, stating, "Today, I can tell you, our matters are solved." He indicated that the association had received firm commitments on nearly all outstanding issues. While a formal suspension awaits consultation with NARD's National Executive Council, the outcome signals a resolution to the industrial action threat.

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Timelines have been agreed upon by various agencies of government on salary and promotion areas. We are talking about the meal issue at LUTH, we are talking about a week for implementation. We have agreed on a figure. We have agreed on numbers.

Key agreements include the timely payment of salaries for house officers, with a standing directive that their pay must be disbursed before the 10th of every month. The Presidency has also tasked the Ministries of Labour and Health with accelerating the completion of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between NARD and the Federal Government to ensure its inclusion in the next budget cycle.

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We also talked about house officers, so that they don’t have to wait a whole month before they get the previous month’s salaries. In fact, he has given a standing order that before the 10th of every month, salaries of house officers must be paid.

Furthermore, the meeting addressed the escalating violence against healthcare workers. The Ministry of Health is set to issue directives to hospitals to bolster security and create safe environments. Public education campaigns will also be launched to discourage assaults on medical personnel. Dr. Suleiman noted Gbajabiamila's consistent intervention in doctors' matters over the years, highlighting his role in resolving previous disputes.

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Today we have agreed. The Ministry of Health is going to release directives to their hospitals to beef up security and create safe spaces. The Ministry of Health is going to engage the public in public education for health workers not to be assaulted.