Why we called off strike –NARD

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has provided an explanation for why it called off its strike over two weeks after it started.

Emeka Orji, the president of NARD, who verified the news on Saturday, stated that the association chose to call off the strike as a result of major steps taken by the federal government to meet its demands.

According to Mr. Orji, the National Executive Council (NEC) of NARD held a meeting and decided it would be preferable to allow the government two weeks to comply with their demands.

“We also observed that the federal government has approved the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), and has started work on the circular on one-for-one replacement,” he said.

“The circular on one-for-one replacement is a very important demand because we believe it would address the severe manpower shortage but from what we have seen, it would take another two weeks for government to finalise it.”

“There will be an assessment of the progress done in two weeks,” he added, adding that all resident doctors are instructed to return work at 8 a.m. on Saturday.