Resident Doctors Set to Go on Indefinite Strike January 2

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The National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Monday, vowed to shut down the health sector with effect from January 2, 2017, should the Federal Government fail to implement all the outstanding agreements with the union, according to Dailypost.


It described the planned industrial action as painful but the last option, having exhausted all windows of dialogue.

President of NARD, Dr. Onyebuchi John Ugochukwu, who addressed a press briefing in Enugu equally directed members to start putting on “black ward gown” as a sign of death of health facilities in the country.

Ugochukwu, who was flanked by the association’s national treasurer and public relations officer, Dr. Ugwuoke Aloy Ifedinso and Dr. Asinobi Ugoeze chided the Federal Ministry of health for allowing the sector to deteriorate into a very sorry and unmanageable state.

He, therefore, declared that: “all agreements of the July 14th 2016 mediation meeting with the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara must be implemented immediately.

“The Ministry of health should be responsible enough to honour such high level agreement reached by all the parties. “If they fail to do so, we are directing all our members to proceed on indefinite action with effect from January 2, 2016. We have already notified all the appropriate bodies on the ultimatum which will expire on the said day.”

In a 15-point resolution, which was a fallout of the NARD’s National Executive Council Meeting held in Abuja, he called on the Federal Government to “as a matter of urgency, institute mechanisms to stem the rot in the health sector and ensure that quality healthcare is accessible to all Nigerians.”

He decried the poor budgetary allocation to the health ministry, noting that adequate provision and planning should be made for both manpower and infrastructural development in subsequent budgets.