FG, doctors reach truce to end strike

The federal government and striking doctors have reached a truce over the ongoing industrial action.

This followed a meeting the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, held with the leadership of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), where a Memorandum of Understanding was signed.

The meeting, which started on Friday evening and ended on Saturday, had the President of NMA, Dr Uche Ojinmah, and his counterpart from NARD, Dr Emeka Orji, among other government officials in attendance.

Giving an update on what transpired, the spokesman of the Ministry, Olajide Oshundun, told journalists that the parties – FG, NMA and NARD had reached a truce in order to halt the five-day nationwide warning strike of resident doctors.

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According to him, all the eight issues raised by the striking resident doctors have been addressed, adding that the fund for the payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) has been captured in the 2023 Appropriation and the payment would commence when the operation of the 2023 Budget begins.

He said the federal government advised striking resident doctors across the country to embrace more persuasion and social dialogue at the state levels in order to have their issues resolved.

It also said the states cannot be compelled to domesticate the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) and must not pay the same amount being paid by the federal government.