By Chesa Chesa
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Tuesday said its longstanding grievances with the Federal Government had been largely resolved following a high-level meeting convened by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the State House, Abuja.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, NARD President, Dr. Mohamed Usman Suleiman, said agreements had been reached on key issues, including salary arrears, promotion arrears, call duty allowances, recruitment of house officers, and improved workplace safety for health workers.
The meeting was attended by officials from the Ministries of Labour, Health and Finance, the Director-General of the Budget Office, the Accountant-General of the Federation, representatives of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), Cash Management, and other government agencies.
Dr. Suleiman commended the Chief of Staff for intervening in the dispute, recalling that Gbajabiamila had previously helped resolve similar issues when he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“I want to put it on record that this is not the first time the Chief of Staff has intervened in matters relating to resident doctors in this country. Each time he has gotten involved, our matters have been resolved. Today, I can tell you our matters have been resolved,” he said.
According to him, the parties agreed on a one-week timeline for the payment of salary arrears and promotion arrears, while implementation of outstanding call duty allowances at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) is also expected within one week.
The association said agreements were also reached on the engagement of additional house officers, with a directive that salaries for house officers should be paid on or before the 10th of every month to eliminate delays experienced by newly employed doctors.
On outstanding professional allowance arrears, Dr. Suleiman said the government made additional concessions during the meeting and acknowledged that the outstanding liability was lower than earlier estimated.
He explained that the arrears relate to unpaid portions of allowances accumulated over about 19 months after the government corrected the payment structure earlier this year.
“The reality is that the numbers are much lower, so it is much more reasonable and more affordable for government,” he said, adding that the Budget Office would provide a timeline for settlement.
The meeting also addressed the long-delayed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), with the Chief of Staff directing the Ministers of Labour and Health to fast-track its completion so that the necessary circulars and financial computations can be incorporated into the 2027 budget.
On the safety of healthcare workers, Dr. Suleiman disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health would issue directives to hospitals to strengthen security and create safer working environments following rising cases of attacks on medical personnel.
He revealed that 31 doctors and more than 20 other health workers had been assaulted in the last 10 months.
In addition, the Chief of Staff pledged to initiate legislation that would classify assault on health workers as an aggravated offence.
While expressing satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, the NARD president said the association had yet to suspend its ongoing strike.
“I cannot stand here and tell you that we have called off the strike. What I will say is that I have utmost confidence that what he has done today has moved the needle to a very large extent and has solved our matters,” he said.
Dr. Suleiman explained that the decision to suspend or continue the industrial action would be taken after consultations with the association’s National Executive Council.
He, however, expressed confidence that the agreements reached at the State House would pave the way for a favourable resolution of the dispute.
