Resident Doctors to Embark on Nationwide Strike

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), across the country, have been directed to embark on a total strike from Monday, August 2.

On Saturday, it was issued at the end of the executive meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union held in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

In general, speaking to the media personnel after the meeting, the NARD National President, Dr. Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, disclosed that members had been asked to proceed on a nationwide indefinite industrial action.

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The inability of the Federal Government to satisfy the demands of the doctors is one of the reasons for the decision to go on strike.

The doctors are demanding, amongst other things, payment of all salaries arrears, review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance especially in state-owned tertiary Institutions.

“Immediate payment of all salary arrears including March salaries for our members in all Federal and State Tertiary Health Institutions across the country especially ASUTH, IMSUTH and UNIMEDTH,” the president said.

“Upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance especially in State owned-tertiary Institutions.

The doctors are also demanding the “implementation of September 2017 Memorandum of Terms of Settlement between NARD and the government to bring lasting peace to the health sector and curb the ongoing ugly trend of brain drain from the health sector.”
According to the association, none of its members has benefited from the federal government’s life insurance scheme after considering the danger health workers are exposed to during the pandemic.

”The PTF has received the Life Insurance cover to the frontline workers on COVID-19 for a maximum of 5000 health workers who are employed to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, had said at a briefing.

The Nigerian Insurance Industry has fully paid the premium in the sum of N112,500,000 for the cover in line with the principle of No Premium, No Cover,” he said.

Despite risks associated with their profession, there have been numerous complaints of poor remuneration and welfare of health workers in Nigeria.

The doctors had downed tools in June and September 2020 over these same issues.

Controversial Hazard Allowance; hazard pay, a wage supplement paid to workers who do dangerous jobs, has been the grouse of Nigerian health workers since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Being the first respondents to patients, health workers have continued to be at risk of exposure to infections, including the COVID-19 virus.

Following a PREMIUM TIMES report in April 2020, the Nigerian government promised a special COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowance of 50 per cent of Consolidated Basic Salary to health workers in Nigerian Teaching Hospitals, Federal Medical Centres (FMCs), and designated COVID-19 centres for the first three months.
Before this, health workers were being paid N5,000 a month as hazard allowance, a sum described as too little by health workers.

“Despite the three months window given to the Federal Government to review the hazard allowance of health workers, the hazard allowance has remained a paltry sum of five thousand (5000) naira monthly,” the president said.

The president of the association emphasized the inadequacy of the government to meet its promises. The government doesn’t work on their talks.

For instance, in life insurance pages, they were never given knowing fully the risk medics face, especially during this pandemic.

Although the exact number of health workers that have been infected in Nigeria so far could not be ascertained as of the time of reporting, at least 812 health workers had tested positive for COVID-19 as of June 2020, according to Nigerian health minister Osagie Ehanire.