Gbajabiamila Commends Resident Doctors for Calling off Strike

Gbajabiamila Commends Resident Doctors for Calling off Strike

By Udora Orizu

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has commended members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) for calling off their nationwide strike, saying the House leadership and members appreciate them for that.

The Speaker in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, said by their action, the doctors have once again proven that they truly have Nigerians at heart.

Gbajabiamila had met with the resident doctors on June 9, after which the House approved the sum of N4 billion as part of their hazard allowance and ensured it was included in the revised 2020 budget.

The resident doctors embarked on strike thereafter, but following further appeals and interventions by the Speaker and other well-meaning Nigerians, the doctors called it off.

At their virtual extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting last Saturday, the NARD leaders resolved to suspend the ongoing indefinite strike with effect from June 22, 2020 at 8 a.m.

The President of the Association, Aliyu Sokomba, in a statement issued yesterday, said the meeting was attended by over 300 members to consider the federal and state governments’ responses to the minimum demands over the strike that commenced on June 15, 2020.

They appreciated Gbajabiamila for his interventions that commenced with a meeting with stakeholders and culminated in the inclusion of N4billion as hazard allowance in the revised 2020 national budget.

The statement read: ‘’We equally recognise the efforts of the Chairman, House Committee on Healthcare Services, Hon. Tanko Sununu, and members of the committee for their efforts at the resolution of the crisis. The medical residency training funding has been included in the revised 2020 budget through the intervention of the Speaker, and will be implemented as soon as the budget is assented to by the president.

“Our national officers shall continue negotiations with stakeholders and progress made shall be reviewed in four weeks’ time during the next NEC meeting in July 2020.”

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