The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), on Wednesday, reached an agreement with the Federal Government, over its ongoing strike. At a meeting which lasted almost the entire day, the association said it will consult its executive council within the next 24 hours, with a view to calling off the strike by Thursday.
Both parties had been locked in negotiations to resolve issues that led to the declaration of a nationwide strike on Monday. Some of the issues revolved around the provision of group life insurance for doctors and other Health Care Workers, payment of death-in-service benefit to next of kin/beneficiaries, Universal implementation of the Medical Residency Training Act in all Federal and State, immediate review of the Hazard Allowance of Health Care Workers and payment of the Covid-19 Inducement Allowance.
But the Federal Government noted that eight of the demands made by NARD had been addressed and the remaining two were in different stages of being resolved. After extensive deliberations, however, both parties reached several agreements. They agreed that the Hospitals and Isolation Centres now have sufficient Provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
They also agreed that the Federal Government had paid the total sum of Nine Billion Three Hundred Million Naira (N9.3billion) to Insurance Companies for Life Group Insurance and payment of death benefits for health workers.
