KEY POINTS
- Resident doctors intensify their fight against arrears.
- More than 2,000 doctors await training fund payments.
- Strike action looms if demands remain unmet.
Nigeria’s resident doctors have given the Federal Government a fresh 24-hour ultimatum to meet a long list of outstanding demands, intensifying pressure on authorities to avert another crippling strike. The warning came after the expiration of the association’s earlier 10-day deadline on September 10, following weeks of stalled promises.
Ultimatum and fight against arrears
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) announced the ultimatum late Wednesday after a six-hour virtual meeting of its National Executive Council. NARD President, Dr. Tope Osundara, said while the doctors recognized government assurances to resolve their grievances, they wanted more than words.
In a communiqué signed by Osundara, General Secretary Dr. Oluwasola Odunbaku, and Publicity and Social Secretary Dr. Omoha Amobi, the doctors listed several unmet demands. These include immediate payment of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), settlement of five months’ arrears from the 25–35 percent Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) review, and clearance of other lingering salary backlogs.
They also pressed for the disbursement of the 2024 accoutrement allowance arrears, prompt release of specialist allowances, and restoration of recognition for the West African postgraduate membership certificates by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
Resident doctors push fight against arrears
Beyond financial matters, NARD urged the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria to issue membership certificates to qualified candidates and demanded full implementation of the 2024 CONMESS structure. Welfare issues in Kaduna State and grievances of resident doctors at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, were also highlighted.
Speaking on Thursday, Osundara told reporters that government officials had reached out the previous day with promises to act, but doctors insisted on swift action. “After a six-hour deliberation, we decided to give the government the next 24 hours to ensure the disbursement of the MRTF to beneficiaries, for the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to upgrade our membership certificates, and to attend to our other demands,” he said.
According to Punch, he warned that failure to meet the demands would lead to an immediate strike by Friday. More than 2,000 resident doctors across Nigeria are still awaiting payment of the MRTF, highlighting the depth of frustration within the association.
