The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to resume industrial action if the federal government fails to fully implement the memorandum of understanding (MoU) previously signed with the body.
In a statement released on Friday, NARD said its national
executive council (NEC) was meeting to determine the next steps under what its
“TICS 2.0 – No implementation, no going back”.
According to the association, Friday marked the second day
after the expiration of the agreed deadline for implementing the NARD–federal
government MoU, which prompted the emergency NEC meeting.
“Today, the national executive council members shall make a
determination of the modus operandi for NARD TICS 2.0: NO IMPLEMENTATION, NO
GOING BACK,” the statement reads.
NARD said it had suspended its previous strike in good faith
after commitments were made by the government, but that implementation of those
agreements remained outstanding.
“Commitments were made. Timelines were agreed.
Implementation remains outstanding. These are signed commitments — not
negotiations,” the association said.
The doctors warned that the responsibility for averting
another nationwide strike rests with the government, not with the patience of
healthcare workers.
“The responsibility to avert another nationwide doctors’
strike lies with government action, not doctors’ patience,” the statement
reads.
The association accused the government of neglecting,
altering or only partially implementing agreements reached with resident
doctors. It added that previous gains had been eroded by economic realities.
“Agreements have been either totally neglected, altered or
half implemented. Gains made have been allowed to be overtaken by events
totally of the making of government,” the association said.
NARD also rejected what it described as the persistent
portrayal of resident doctors as troublemakers, insisting that its members are
central to healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
While noting that industrial action remains a last resort,
the association warned that continued silence or delays by the government could
force difficult decisions.
“It is not a crime to read medicine in the university, it is
certainly not a crime to be a member of NARD in Nigeria. We have not offended
anyone by constituting ourselves as the backbone of healthcare service delivery
in Nigeria,” the statement added.
“No one wants to embark on such actions of industrial
disharmony. It becomes the last resort when those saddled with the
responsibility of governance turn a blind eye to the realities of the suffering
of NARDites.”
NARD called on the federal government, the federal ministry of health and social welfare to act urgently, saying immediate implementation of the agreements could restore trust and protect Nigeria’s health system.
“The clock has run out. Immediate action can restore trust,
protect the health system, and avert TICS 2.0,” the association said.
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