FG to meet striking doctors on Friday

The Federal Government will meet with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Friday, April 9, 2021, to address the ongoing strike embarked upon by the doctors last week.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment spokesman, Charles Akpan, revealed this on Thursday in an invite to journalists.

Akpan said the meeting, which would hold at the ministry, would be chaired by the Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige.

The ministry’s spokesperson added that the meeting would be attended by resident doctors and representatives of the Federal Government.

Recall that the strike started after medical workers expressed a lack of confidence in the Memorandum of Action signed with the government representatives.

The striking doctors subsequently accused the government of insincerity and dismissed the MOA as a plot by the government to hoodwink the union.

But Ngige said the Federal Government has met the seven-point demand by the doctors, adding that the FG “has also demonstrated transparency in their implementation.’’

The minister also said House Officers have started receiving their payments in the federal government teaching hospitals and federal medical centres across the federation.

He said, “We have also abolished benching in training as well as stopped the deduction of N15,000 per month from the salaries of house doctors for accommodation. We directed the refund of the deductions and the entire money is now paid to the house doctors to negotiate with the local authorities and sort out individual accommodation.”

Ngige said by the close of work on Thursday, all doctors would have been paid.