The speaker of the house of Representatives Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has appealed to the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), to suspend the strike action while the house intervene.
He made the appeal during a meeting with the leadership of the association and the permanent secretary federal ministry of health.
He urged the association to understand the fact that a new administration just came on board and still in the process of settling down as Ministers are yet to assume office.
While commending the patriotism and sacrifices of the association despite the many challenges within their work, the speaker assured that the 10th house would deploy every legislative instrument available to ensure that they are fully compensated.
“We must approach these issues with an open mind and guided by the fact that revenues available to the government may not fully meet our demands. Therefore, we must find a middle ground that satisfies everyone without prejudice to the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding.
“We particularly note that your demands include the payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund, upward review of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and salary arrears dating back to 2015. These issues and more can be resolved without embarking on an industrial action.”
Dr Abbas urged them to take advantage of the meeting to bare their minds on the issues at stake and suggest realistic solutions to them
Olusola Akintonde
