Nigerian doctors shelve strike, give govt one month ultimatum

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has shelved its planned strike.

This was the decision reached at a scheduled meeting by the doctors which ended late on Saturday night.

Hours after health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) suspended their nationwide strike after 44 days, the resident doctors on Thursday served a notice of thier own looming strike.

They said they could no longer “guarantee industrial harmony” and scheduled a meeting for Saturday to take a decision on their grievances..

After the meeting however, the president of NARD, Ugochukwu Chinaka, said the doctors decided to put a hold on the planned strike but gave the federal government one month ultimatum to implement all outstanding agreements.

“The one month period is to give the federal government the opportunity to implement all outstanding agreements,” he said.

Resident doctors are post-graduate doctors on training at secondary and tertiary health institutions in Nigeria, especially teaching hospitals.

They are in the employment of the federal government during their residency.

They are asking government to honour past agreements on staff welfare, pay their arrears from 2013 among other demands.