By Chioma Umeha, Nnenna Ekwueme
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) will resume
work today after its 10-day-old strike to monitor the level of Federal
Government’s compliance with the agreement reached for two weeks.
The two weeks period is to afford the doctors enough time to
further discuss with the Federal Government to arrive at final solutions to
some contentious issues.
The doctors would, however, resume the strike if the discussion
with the government fails.
Confirming this, Dr. Odusote Olumuyiwa, Chairman, Lagos State
branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), in an interview with
INDEPENDENT, said that resident doctors are expected back at work today.
When INDEPENDENT visited Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)
Idi-Araba, Lagos, on Thursday, our reporter noticed
that activities are beginning to return to normalcy.
A patient who pledged anonymity said some doctors had already
began skeletal routine services and receiving case files.
Recall that Dr. John Onyebueze, National President of the
association, had announced the suspension of the strike in a statement on Thursday.
Dr Onyebueze said that the doctors decided to resume work
after considering efforts made by government in addressing their demands.
He had therefore directed all doctors to start work today.
His views were contained in a one paragraph statement which was
made available to INDEPENDENT.
“After due consideration of the efforts by government and
progress made in addressing the items on the notice of our ultimatum, and
strike, as well as implementing the contents of the re-negotiated memorandum of
terms of settlement (MTS), NARD resolved to suspend her 10 days strike, and to
reassess situation in two weeks at our AGM in
Abuja.
“Accordingly, members are to resume work 8:00am,
Friday, September 15, 2017,” the statement said.
The government and the doctors had signed a memorandum of terms of
settlement which they were supposed to have been reviewed last Friday and
suspend the strike after receiving alert for the payment of their salary
shortfall.
The doctors however failed to call off their strike in line with
terms of settlement signed with the Federal Government, alleging government
default in the agreement.
Also speaking, Segun Olaopa, Chairman of NARD, University College
Hospital (UCH) Ibadan chapter, said “the decision was reached following appeals
from the public that the doctors should give the Federal Government more time
to meet their demands.”
Olaopa, also said that there will be a review in two weeks time to determine how far the government had
gone to honour their agreements.
