Federal Government moves to resolve doctors’ strike after Tinubu’s directive
By Hakeem Oduyoye
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure that members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) who are currently on strike return to work without delay. The directive followed the total and indefinite strike declared by the doctors on Saturday.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while addressing journalists on the government’s efforts to resolve the dispute. He expressed regret over the disruption of medical services across hospitals and offered an apology to Nigerians who had been unable to access care during the strike period.
Salako said the President had “expressly directed that we do everything possible and legitimate to ensure that the resident doctors are brought back to their duty posts as soon as possible.” He explained that the government had been in continuous talks with the doctors’ leadership to address the issues behind their industrial action.
The minister said disagreements arose from a circular earlier issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, which created tension among different professional groups in the health sector. “We approached the National Salaries and Wages Commission and the Presidential Committee on Salary Increase, and the circular was therefore withdrawn,” he stated. He added that the government initiated a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process in August to harmonize negotiations among all health unions, including NMA, NANNM, and JOHESU.
According to him, two major disputes had slowed the CBA process one relating to the demand for parity and relativity in salaries, and another concerning the appointment of non-doctor health workers as consultants. “We felt it was important to resolve these issues internally before proceeding,” Salako said, noting that an external negotiator had been engaged to help reach a fair conclusion.
Salako revealed that the doctors presented 19 demands, many of which are already being addressed. He said the government had approved large-scale recruitment of health workers to reduce manpower shortages and improve hospital efficiency. He also noted that Tinubu approved an increase in the retirement age for clinical staff to 65 years, while efforts were ongoing to finalize the policy.
On the financial aspect, the minister said, “The sum of N21.3 billion has been released for the settlement of arrears, and at least 60 per cent of NARD members have received payment alerts.” He added that an additional N11.9 billion had been processed, while N10 billion was previously disbursed to all health workers in August, with another N10 billion paid directly to resident doctors under the Medical Residency Training Fund.