July 30, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), has rejected the Federal Government’s 25 percent increment in the basic salary of doctors, as well as the N25,000 accouterment allowance per quarter.
A statement issued on Saturday by NARD’s President, Dr Emeka Orji, said the decision was a resolution by its National Executive Council (NEC).
The statement reads in part: “We observed the paltry 25 percent increment in the basic salary of doctors as contained in the circular released by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in the wake of the strike, as well as the accoutrement allowance.
“NEC vehemently rejects the paltry 25 per cent increment in the basic salary of doctors, as well as the accoutrement allowance, adding that her earlier demand is for full restoration of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to its right value as at the time of the approval of the structure in 2009.”
Orji had in an earlier statement said “Before the removal of the subsidy, we demanded a 200 per cent salary increase. With the removal of subsidy and the fuel price, we have done the math again, which will be in the neighbourhood of more than 600 per cent as the increment required to take us back to the value of that salary in 2014.
“Right now, we are not talking of percentage again; let the government do the calculation and tell us what we are getting because what we are asking is full salary restoration and not even an increment. This will help us tackle the brain drain in the country.”
NARD had on Wednesday, July 26, begun an indefinite nationwide strike, saying the Government had failed to meet its demands.
The doctors are demanding among others, immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF); issuance of a circular by the Federal Ministry of Health for the replacement of doctors and nurses that have left the system with new ones; payment of salary arrears, improvement in hazard allowance by state governments; a call on the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to reverse herself on the downgrading of the membership certificate.
Others are rejection of the casualisation of doctors in all tertiary health institutions in Nigeria; the immediate unconditional release of one of its trainers, Prof. Ekanem Philip-Ephraim of UCTH Calabar, and the need for the government to beef up security in the country to forestall such occurrences.
