Resident doctors demand serious commitment from Federal Govt

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Tuesday said its members would only call off the strike if there was a serious commitment from the Federal Government to resolve their demands.

The NARD President, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital(UATH) chapter, Dr Ucha Nephro, said this in a telephone interview in Abuja.

Nephro expressed regrets that the federal government has been making promises to solving the demands, but was yet to show commitment.

He said that resident doctors in UATH have not been paid their full salary in January, February, March and August 2017.

According to him, the association have been asking federal government to pay the arrears it owe them, adding that the payment is done without reason.

“We want the federal government to pay us our full salary. Other staff of the hospital have their salaries paid fully because they are under Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform.

“We also want to be under the platform.

“In January, NARD members in UATH got 78 per cent of their salary, in February it got 78 and March, 80. It was corrected in April and we have been asking federal government to pay us these arrears.

“In August 72 per cent was paid, now we don’t know whether there will be salary for September,’’ he said.

He also confirmed that medical consultants at the Enugu State Teaching Hospital have also embarked on strike on Tuesday over similar issues.

However, consultants at the UATH are providing medical services to patients.