Resident doctors have ended a five-day “warning strike” after signing an agreement with the government.
Doctors in Nigerian public hospitals stopped work on Wednesday, leading to patients being denied healthcare, in protest of the government’s refusal to increase their salaries and pay arrears owed them, according to Innocent Orji, president of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors.
They also complained about the government’s low investment in the Nigerian health system, especially as the country’s leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari, patronize foreign hospitals.
The current strike did not affect specialist or consultant doctors, who comprise a small fraction of healthcare workers in government hospitals.
The resident doctors’ association said it directed its members to resume on Monday after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government.
“The strike has been suspended, and work resumes at 8 am tomorrow (Monday). The ultimatum extended till June 2, 2023, for reassessment,” the president of the association, Emeka Orji, was quoted by Punch as saying.
The union says it will review the government’s commitment to resolving the issues within two weeks, which means it may restart the strike if unsatisfied.
– What doctors want
The doctors are demanding a 200% pay rise and the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund payment.
They are also asking the government to carry out “massive” recruitment of clinical staff in hospitals and develop hospital infrastructure. They also want the withdrawal of a bill to compel medical graduates to provide compulsorily serve in Nigeria for five years before being granted full licence to practise.
The government last week dismissed the doctors’ threat of a strike by saying it will hire “ad hoc” doctors to work. The Ministry of Labour and Employment claimed the strike was “illegal” and threatened not to pay those on strike.
The government said some of the issues the doctors were asking for were beyond its powers as those decisions lie with the states.
The labour ministry said the government could not implement a 200% pay rise for doctors. Still, it said it was negotiating an increment with the health ministry, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, and a presidential committee on salaries.
“It is incongruous for student doctors to embark on strike when consultants training them were already negotiating with the federal government,” it said.
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