Resident doctors in Abuja have been warned by Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, from threatening to engage in industrial action.
Wike stated that he would not support physicians who go on strike while he is still a minister and that he is prepared to fight them in court.
Wike said that if resident physicians engage in industrial action, he will profit more.
“Make your suggestions, and we’ll see which ones we can implement and which ones we can’t. I don’t enjoy being threatened with a strike, so don’t do it. I save money when you go on strike; even if you return, I won’t pay; the matter will be decided in court.
I don’t believe in theory; it’s not about making promises, it’s about the reality on the ground, said Wike.
Due to the Federal Government’s refusal to satisfy their requests, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, or NARD, has recently engaged in intermittent industrial activities.
The 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) must be immediately paid, concrete efforts must be taken toward the “upward review” of the Consolidated Medical wage Structure (CONMESS), and all wage arrears owing to the physicians’ members since 2015 must be paid, among many other demands.
The doctors also call for the immediate, significant hiring of clinical personnel in hospitals and the elimination of administrative restrictions on replacing departing physicians and nurses as soon as possible.
Additionally, they demand that all state governments and private tertiary healthcare institutions that conduct any kind of resident training immediately examine the hazard allowance.
