Regina Otokpa The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has declared that its members would not return to work until the Federal Government fully meets all 19 of their outstanding demands.
NARD President, Dr Muhammad Suleiman, in a statement released yesterday, insisted that none of the issues that led to the ongoing nationwide strike had received adequate attention from the government.
Suleiman was reacting to a statement from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which announced plans to release N11.9 billion for doctors’ arrears and other welfare packages.
The ministry said it was working with the Federal Ministry of Finance to transfer N21.3 billion to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) account for health workers, while N11.9 billion and N10.6 billion were allocated for related payments.
The ministry added that the Federal Government was addressing workforce shortages by recruiting more healthcare professionals and maintaining engagements with unions such as NARD, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
