Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
…issues another 2weeks ultimatum to FG
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has demanded immediate implementation of a 200 percent Increment in its salary, given the current economic realities in the country.
The union in a communique signed by its President, Dr Orji Emeka Innocent at the end of a virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, noted that its members were finding spending a fortune just to access their primary places of assignment on a daily basis due to the fuel subsidy removal which has increased the cost of virtually everything in the country especially transportation cost.
“The NEC of NARD insists on the immediate implementation of a minimum of 200% increment in the CONMESS salary structure and upward review of the associated allowances as requested in her previous letters on the subject matter since the current economic realities in the country cannot justify the continued payment of CONMESS as it is at the moment or any increment below the 200% as demanded.”
The doctors who issued another two weeks ultimatum to the federal government to meet their demands as promised,.expressed concerns that seven weeks after its five days warning strike, nothing has been done to address the issues raised Stating some of the challenges doctors have faced to face as a result of the government’s attitude to their demands, NARD noted that due to the massive shortage in manpower in tertiary hospitals nationwide, there has been an increasing record of doctors and nurses breaking down from heavy workloads. “NEC demands the immediate payment of the 2023 MRTF as contained in the approved 2023 budget in line with various agreements we’ve reached with the government.
“NEC calls on the government to without further delay pay all outstanding arrears owed our members including the hazard allowance and the skipping arrears of 2014-2016, and the arrears of consequential adjustment of the minimum wage as there is no justifiable reason to keep owing these arrears and allowances.
“We demand the immediate release and the implementation of the guidelines on one-for-one replacement of clinical staff to cushion the effect of the massive manpower shortage in our various hospitals nationwide.
“NEC calls on the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to discontinue the downgrading of the membership certificate issued by the West African Postgraduate Medical and Surgical colleges as this is not obtainable in other parts of West Africa where these same certificates are issued.
“NEC demands the immediate payment of all Salary Arrears, implementation of the CONMESS salary structure and new Hazard Allowance and domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act, and payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund to our members in the State Tertiary Health Institutions nationwide.
“NEC hereby wishes to further extend her already expired ultimatum issued to the government by 2 weeks with effect from today 5th July 2023. For purposes of emphasis, at the expiration of this further extended ultimatum by 19th of July 2023, if all these demands are not met, we cannot guarantee industrial harmony in the Health Sector nationwide.”
(newtelegraphng.com)
