The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has urged the Federal Government to review the remuneration of medical doctors nationwide, describing the current salary structure as “very poor.”
Dr. Emmanuel Idoko, Chairman of the NARD chapter at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, amid the association’s ongoing nationwide strike.
NARD began an indefinite strike on November 1 to protest poor welfare conditions, inadequate pay, and the government’s failure to honour previous agreements.
Dr. Idoko urged the government to implement the association’s 19 pending demands, which stem from a collective bargaining agreement first signed in 2009 and reviewed in 2014 and 2019 but largely unfulfilled.
The demands include the recruitment of more medical personnel to ease workloads, a review of the salary structure, reduction of excessive call hours, improved hospital infrastructure, and recognition of doctors who have passed their part-one specialist examinations.
He said the strike was intended to compel the government to act on these demands. “Once we see realistic timelines, we will reconvene our National Executive Council and review the situation,” Idoko said.
The industrial action has disrupted services in several teaching hospitals nationwide, heightening concerns about the state of Nigeria’s healthcare system and the continued exodus of medical professionals seeking better working conditions abroad.
