By Independent
The National Association of Resident Doctors
(NARD) has suspended the strike action it embarked upon a week ago, after hours
of a secret meeting with the Minister of Health.
National President of the association, Dr. John Onyebueze, who announced the
suspension in a statement in the early hours of Thursday, said doctors decided
to suspend the strike after considering efforts made by government in
addressing their demands.
He therefore directed all doctors to go back to
work with effect from 8.00am on Friday.
The one paragraph statement reads: “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 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, 15th September, 2017.”
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.
Days after the supposed meeting to call off the
strike, the doctors continued to keep silent about the industrial action,
fueling speculations that they may have rejected the terms of settlement.
The strike was called to force government to meet
doctors demands and pay their salary short fall.
Medical services in government hospitals had been
disrupted nationwide with patients not attended to.
