NARD accuses Labour Ministry of making false claims on doctors’ demands

By Folasade Akpan

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has described claim by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment that it has met 19 out of the association’s 20 demands as “misleading” and “a deliberate attempt to misinform the Nigerian public,”

NARD’s President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman; Secretary-General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim; and Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr Abdulmajid Ibrahim said this in a ommuniqué they jointly signed on Thursday in Abuja

According to NARD, the claims by the Ministry was not a reflection of the true state of ongoing negotiations to to call off its nationwide, total, and indefinite strike which began on Nov. 1.

The strike was prompted by the government’s persistent failure to implement long-standing agreements on welfare, allowances, and manpower shortages in the health sector.

According to NARD, the Labour Ministry circulated a press release on Wednesday claiming that a “high percentage” of the association’s demands had been addressed.

The ministry also claimed that payment of the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and accoutrement allowances had commenced.

However, NARD said its Extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of Nov. 17 reviewed the ministry’s claims and confirmed that “not a single one” of its 19 core demands had been “fully and verifiably met.”

The association said the ministry’s statements were based on “anticipations, intentions and the formation of committees,” rather than evidence of concrete implementation.

“The Ministry’s assertion that payments for the 25 per cent and 35 per cent CONMESS review and the 2024 accoutrement allowances have commenced is simply untrue.

“None of our members across the country has received these payments,” the statement said.

It added that the government’s reference to “working to reconcile” outstanding payments indicated that the issues remained unresolved, stressing that “an announcement of intent is not a credited salary.”

On arrears owed doctors in several federal health institutions, NARD said the admission that government was “compiling lists” for submission to the Budget Office reflected “a crippling lack of urgency,” in spite of years of dialogue.

The group also faulted the ministry’s reliance on committees to resolve issues such as the disengagement of five doctors at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja; manpower shortages; and the alleged casualisation of medical personnel.

“Constituting committees is not a resolution. It is often a bureaucratic tool for indefinite postponement,” it said.

NARD demanded the immediate reinstatement of the affected doctors and full implementation of a one-for-one replacement policy to curb burnout in hospitals.

The association also rejected claims that it refused to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), saying it merely insisted on an agreement with clear, time-bound and verifiable implementation steps.

“We refuse to sign any MoU built on unfulfilled promises. An MoU that does not guarantee immediate and verifiable action is not worth the paper it is written on,” it said.

NARD maintained that its minimum demands remained unchanged and must be met before the strike could be suspended.

“These include reinstatement of the disengaged doctors at FTH Lokoja with full compensation; payment of corrected allowances and arrears; full implementation of the one-for-one replacement and specialist allowances; and resolution of all other outstanding issues.

The association said it remained open to dialogue but insisted that negotiations must produce tangible results.

“The health of our nation is in the balance,” it added.

The recurring disputes between government and resident doctors have centred on remuneration, working conditions, training support, manpower shortages and delayed implementation of agreements, with strikes frequently disrupting health service delivery nationwide.

(NAN)