Six-Hour Meeting Deadlocked As FG, Resident Doctors Fail To Reach Agreement

Attempt made by house of representatives committee on health services to resolve the lingering crisis between the federal government and National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) was futile as the meeting between the trio ended without any agreement on Tuesday.

It was assembled that the two-day public hearing organised by the house committee on health services which commenced on Monday ended in a deadlock on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Olorunnimbe Mamora, minister of state for health; Emmanuel Meribole, permanent secretary, office of the head of service; Ben Akabueze, director-general of the budget office of the federation; Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, president of NARD, among others.

The NARD president while addressing officials at the meeting on Tuesday cited experiences of doctors in hospitals across the country, especially as it related to payment of salaries.

“We need to get something right, and getting something right is when we tell ourselves the truth. Why we are still on strike today is because of the ministry of health, mostly — my apologies to the minister of health. I will say it as it is,” he said.

“We have been honoured that the speaker came to see us and invited us four times. This is the second time we are going on a strike in this year. Why are we having these bottlenecks? Because some people are not doing their jobs.”

Chairman of the committee, Tanko Sununu asked the resident doctors to work with the ministry of health to come up with an agreement reached at the meeting after about six hours of discussions.

But Okhuaihesuyi maintained that the meeting has not resolved the issues raised by the resident doctors, adding that no agreement has been reached.

Recall that the doctors had embarked on a strike on April 1 to protest the failure of the government to fulfil an agreement signed with the union.

The strike was later suspended by NARD on April 10 as a result of the signing of a new agreement with the federal government, concerning issues raised in a 13-point demand.

However, more than two months after the new agreement was signed, the resident doctors say the federal government has failed to meet most of their demands.

The doctors commenced a fresh nationwide strike on August 2 and have vowed not call off the strike until the federal government meets all their demands.

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