FG, Reps in prolonged meeting with resident doctors over strike

The House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services, on Friday, held a prolonged meeting with the Federal Government and leadership of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and also shareholders over the ongoing nationwide strike by doctors.

After the private meeting that went on for five hours, the committee and the Federal Ministry of Health urged the doctors to suspend their strike in light of a legitimate concern for the helpless who cannot afford health services in private hospitals.

Chairman of the committee, Tanko Sununu, during press conference with journalists after the meeting, declared that the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, is to meet with the NARD on Tuesday in the efforts by the lawmakers to address the disagreement between the government and the doctors.

Sununu stated, “It is a very contentious issue and it took long because we tried to address the issues one by one and we came out with some resolutions. One of the resolutions is that as of today because there are so many infractions, we have decided to constitute three basic committees.

“One of the committees is to sort out the issue of House Officers and they are to commence work with immediate effect, and submit the authenticated list to the IPPIS (Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System) office within 24 hours so that payment of those who have been omitted would be done with immediate effect.”

Sununu added that the committee decided that the affected House Officers must be paid as quickly as possible.

He said, “The NARD made it clear that in the last four months, the members of the association were wrongly paid to the tune of N308m and the money has been with the NARD.

“They have been following the necessary organs of the government to ensure that the money is paid back into the government treasury, but the account was not given to them.

“At this meeting, we resolved and the account was forwarded to the President of NARD for onward transmission to members so that the money would be paid back to the government account.”