The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced plans to commence an indefinite nationwide strike from 1 November, following the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government over unresolved welfare and policy demands.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NARD President, Dr.Mohammad Suleiman, said the decision was reached after a five-hour emergency meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) held on Saturday.
According to Dr. Suleiman, the strike became inevitable after repeated government inaction on key demands, including a 200 per cent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), full implementation of new allowances proposed in July 2022, and the immediate recruitment of clinical staff to address the shortage of doctors nationwide.
The association is also demanding the removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks hindering the replacement of doctors who leave the public health system.
“The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action,” the statement read in part.
Dr. Suleiman added that the National Officers Committee (NOC) had been mandated to ensure full compliance with the strike directive and to enforce participation across all federal and state medical centres.
He said NARD’s centre presidents and general secretaries had been directed to convene emergency congress meetings to brief members and prepare for the industrial action.
The NARD president also accused some government and non-government actors of what he described as “evil and exploitative plans” against resident doctors, vowing that the association would collectively resist such moves.
He urged members to use the days leading up to the strike to hand over patients, engage community and religious leaders, and sensitise the public to the reasons behind the planned action.
