The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has rejected the Federal Government’s 25 per cent increment in the basic salary of doctors, as well as the N25,000 accoutrement allowance per quarter.
The Association National Executive Council, in a recent statement by the President of the Association, Dr Emeka Orji, described the increase as too small but demanded a complete restoration of their salary structure.
His words: “NEC vehemently rejects the paltry 25 per cent increment in the basic salary of doctors, as well as the accoutrement allowance, adding that her earlier demand is for full restoration of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to its right value as at the time of the approval of the structure in 2009.”
Recall that the current salary structure was approved in 2009 and implemented in 2014.
Hence, the resident doctors are demanding a restoration to the salary’s value as of 2014, saying inflation, exchange rate increment and fuel price had eroded the value.
Earlier, Dr Orji said: “Initially, before the removal of the subsidy, we demanded a 200 per cent salary increase. With the removal of subsidy and the fuel price, we have done the math again, which will be in the neighbourhood of more than 600 per cent as the increment required to take us back to the value of that salary in 2014.
“Right now, we are not talking of percentage again; let the government do the calculation and tell us what we are getting because what we are asking is full salary restoration and not even an increment. This will help us tackle the brain drain in the country.”
Other demands of the doctors include:
- Immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF).
- Issuance of a circular by the Federal Ministry of Health for the replacement of doctors and nurses that have left the system with new ones.
- Payment of salary arrears and improvement in hazard allowance by state governments.
- A call on the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to reverse the downgrading of the membership certificate.
- The rejection of the casualization of doctors in all tertiary health institutions in Nigeria.
- The immediate, unconditional release of one of its trainers.
- Prof. Ekanem Philip-Ephraim of UCTH Calabar.
The association began a nationwide strike at noon on July 26, saying the government had failed to meet its demands.
