The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have rejected the Federal Government’s 25 per cent increase in the basic salary of medical and dental doctors, including the N25,000 accouterment allowance per quarter.
Few hours after the doctors’ association began it’s national indefinite strike the Federal Government, through the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), announced the N25,000 accouterment allowance per quarter for health workers.
According to a statement signed by the President of NARD, Dr. Emeka Orji, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the association observed with shock that up till now, about two months after the agreed date, the government has not yet released the circular on one for one replacement of exited clinical workers, neglecting the morbid and mortal effects of the massive brain drain on its members still working in the country and hapless Nigerian citizens.
It said, “NEC observed the paltry 25 per cent increment in the basic salary of doctors as contained in the circular released by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in the wake of the strike, as well as the accouterment allowance.
“NEC vehemently reject the paltry 25 per cent increment in the basic salary of doctors, as well as the accouterment allowance, adding that her earlier demand is for full restoration of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to its right value as at the time of the approval of the structure in 2009.
“NEC observed that the 2023 medical residency training fund (MRTF) has not been paid even after several promises made by the government.
“NEC observed with nostalgia, the lingering challenge of the arrears of salaries from 2014 to 2016, and the seeming unwillingness of the government to resolve this recurrent quagmire.
“NEC observed that the arrears of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage as well as the arrears of hazard allowance have still not been paid to our members who were omitted in the initial payments.
“NEC painfully observed that the reason for the downgrading of the membership certificate by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has not been satisfactorily explained, wondering if the quality of postgraduate medical education in the country has been watered down to warrant the downgrading.”
Others demands include: rejection of the casualization of doctors in all tertiary health institutions in Nigeria; and the immediate unconditional release of one of its trainer, Prof. Ekanem Philip-Ephraim of UCTH Calabar, and the need for the government to beef up security in the country to forestall such occurrences; among others.
The NEC, therefore, appealed to the Federal and State governments to urgently resolve these demands in order to forestall the further escalation of the ongoing industrial disharmony in the health sector nationwide
It also urged the federal government to consider ways of placating Nigerians who have to grapple daily with the burden of living in the post-subsidy era, and to ensure that savings from the subsidy removal be prudently utilized for the common good.