Resident Doctors Set For Nationwide Strike

The National Association of
Resident Doctors has warned of an
impending strike by its members
nationwide over the poor funding
of their residency training by the
Federal Government.
Already, the 21-day ultimatum given
to the Federal Government by NARD
will expire on June 18, 2003.
NARD National President, Dr. Ismail
Lawal, at a news conference at the
Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching
Hospital, Sagamu, on Thursday,
warned that the resident doctors
across the country might embark on
strike any moment after the 21-day
ultimatum expires.
Lawal expressed dismay at the
inadequate funding of the Residency
Training Programme in the 2013
budget.
He warned that the residency training
of NARD members across the
country could be jeopardised with
the attendant setbacks in skills
development in neurosurgery,
pathology, gynaecoloy, among
others due to inadequate funding by
the Federal Government.
NARD said the meagre fund allocated
to the RTP in the 2013 Appropriation
Bill was grossly inadequate and
would cripple the scheme, adding
that "update courses, exams and
other course fees" for members
were already not being fully settled
promptly by the FG.
The NARD president stated that the
development was exposing
members' career as well as
specialised health care delivery
service to Nigerians to a grave risk.
Citing the situation at the Ahmadu
Bello University Teaching Hospital,
Zaria, as one of the glaring cases of
underfunding of NARD's knowledge
upgrade, Lawal said the institution's
authorities made a budget proposal
of N200m for the RTP for over 500
resident doctors at ABUTH but
lamented that only N19m was
approved by the government.