The Resident doctors are demanding that the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure be revised immediately, so that gross salaries for all categories of doctors increase by 200%.
The doctors also want the immediate withdrawal of a bill that would require medical and dental graduates to render five-year compulsory service in Nigeria before being granted full licenses.
They also demand that CONMESS be implemented immediately, and the Medical Residency Training Act be domesticated. Additionally, they want to see a review of hazard allowances in all states where health workers are trained whether at public or private institutions.
Speaking with the pressmen on Wednesday, Dr Emeka Orji, he president of NARD said that no counter-offer had been made to the government's demands by doctors.
Orji said, “The ultimatum is running, and as of today, there is no counter-offer, and we are hoping that the government will step in before the end of this week.
“This fight is for Nigerians, and that is why we are not looking back. We have talked a lot since last year, but unfortunately, it is making us believe that the Nigerian government will not listen until you get to the level of escalations that will end up in disharmony, and that is where we are now.
“All we hear are threats on national television, and each time they issue these threats on TV, it angers our members the more because if you are meant to be negotiating on how to resolve the issues and you are going on TV to issue threats, it means the government is not willing to find a solution to this. The threats may lead this country to another round of nationwide industrial crisis in the health sector.”
The NARD president stated that an executive meeting would be held so that the association's members could discuss the ultimatum.
“The meeting will focus on updating the members of our demands, if the government has responded and if their response is inadequate, then we cannot guarantee industrial harmony, but all options are on the table. If during that briefing, our members feel that nothing has been achieved, anything can happen,” he added.
