NARD Urges FG to Review and Upgrade Doctors’ Pay

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently review and upgrade the remuneration of medical doctors across Nigeria, describing their current pay as grossly inadequate.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Calabar, Dr. Emmanuel Idoko, Chairman of the NARD chapter at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), made the call while commenting on the association’s ongoing indefinite strike, which began on November 1.

Idoko said the strike was necessitated by poor welfare conditions, low salaries, and the government’s failure to meet several long-standing demands. He urged the Federal Government to implement the 19 unresolved points contained in NARD’s collective bargaining agreement with the government.

According to him, the agreement originally signed in 2009 and reviewed in 2014 and 2019 has yet to be fully executed.

The NARD chairman also called for the recruitment of more doctors to reduce the increasing workload, a review of the salary structure, shorter call hours, and improved hospital infrastructure.

He added that the doctors are also seeking recognition and certification for those who have successfully passed their part-one specialist examinations.

“The ongoing industrial action is to press for the implementation of our 19-point demands. Once we see realistic timelines from the government, our National Executive Council will reconvene to review the situation,” Idoko said. (NAN)