Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have returned to work following a month-long nationwide strike declared by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The strike began on November 1 after NARD directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services over the government’s failure to meet several longstanding demands. These included a 200 per cent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), full implementation of new allowances proposed since July 2022, immediate recruitment of clinical staff, and the removal of bureaucratic delays affecting replacement of exiting doctors.
Speaking on the development, the President of UCH NARD, Dr. Gboyega Ajibola, said the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) met on November 29 to review the situation and noted that the government had met most of their immediate and short-term demands.
He confirmed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the government, outlining the agreed terms and timelines for implementation.
“Based on the satisfactory terms of the MoU, the NARD NEC decided to suspend the industrial action and give the government four weeks to reappraise progress,” Ajibola said.
He added that, in accordance with NARD procedures, each centre held a congress on December 1 to brief members, after which they were directed to resume duties.
Ajibola confirmed that all resident doctors at UCH resumed work on Monday.
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