Doctors insist on strike, despite no-work-no-pay threat by Nigerian govt

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has reiterated its pledge to persist with its ongoing industrial action despite the no-work-no-pay directive issued by the Federal Government.

This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday, by Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, the NARD President, in Abuja.

Okhuaihesuyi urged the federal government to hold relevant agencies responsible for addressing the issues previously raised by the association during its earlier strike in April for dereliction of duty.

“The federal government may come out to insist on no-work-no-pay. They may try to threaten us with this directive from tomorrow; they can do that but they should remember that anyone that has not done his work first should also be punished.

“The relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that are yet to carry out their duties in ensuring that these issues are addressed should be held accountable, because this strike will not happen if they did their jobs.

“Some members of the association are being paid N5,000 as hazard allowance when individuals in the Upper and Lower chambers of the National Assembly are receiving between N1.2 million to N3 million or more for hardship allowance.

“We need to get our priorities right. We lost 19 residents to COVID-19 and as it stands, their families are yet to receive any death benefits.

READ ALSO: Ondo doctors ready to negotiate, but maintain stand against half salary

“We cannot ignore the fact that the doctors that died in the line of duty during the COVID-19 pandemic have families and children that attend schools and need to feed and survive, ” he said.

The strike was necessary to ensure doctors were no longer denied their dues to enable them to function optimally, the NARD President further clarified.

“Our demands are not new to the government.

“The salary structure of doctors needs to be improved because there is non-payment of salaries to many health workers in some states and also an irregular salary structure in others. Some health workers receive incomplete salaries.

“Doctors need to be captured into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to streamline the salary structure, ensure conformity and consistency in payment,” said the NARD president.

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