Labour Minister, Chris Ngige said he thought doctors in
Nigeria were playing a prank when they embarked on an industrial action.
On Friday, the minister assured that the government will end
the ongoing nationwide strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors
(NARD).
Ngige spoke in Abuja at the Nigerian Health Commissioners
Forum Quarterly meeting.
Ngige said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was
doing its best to cater for doctors.
He recalled that public health workers got N32 billion as
special COVID-19 hazard allowance for three months in the first instance.
Ngige said state governments were advised to pay as much as
they could.
Narrating how the situation degenerated, he said in
September 2020, NARD issued a notice of strike while asking for Medical
Residency Training Fund (MRTF).
They wanted N542,000 each to cover the cost of books and
journals for that particular examination, transportation and lodging for three
days.
Ngige added that since the supplementary budget was being
put together then, the doctors’ demand was included, fulfilled and they called
off the strike.
The minister said by March 2021, they listed other things,
complaining that Residency Training Fund was not in the 2021 budget.
”They also needed the hazard allowance to be upgraded and
demanded that States should domesticate Residency Training Act.
“Before we could say Jack Robinson, they went on strike on
April 1. I thought it was April fool until April 2 when we didn’t see them at
work.
“I told them that, they didn’t give the mandatory 21 days
notice to their employers who have written to me to complain.”
Ngige said the 2021 Residency Training Fund was eventually
captured in the supplementary budget, disclosing that the funds are now
available.
The federal government also approved N11.3 billion for Group
Life Insurance in 2020 and renewed it in 2021, he disclosed.
The minister added that government met severally with
NMA-JOHESU joint committee on hazard allowance until the unions disagreed and
requested separate negotiations.
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