Resident Doctors shelve planned strike in Kaduna, give Govt 3 months grace
By Muhammad Auwal
The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD), Kaduna State Chapter, has suspended its plan to go on strike over unresolved issues with the Kaduna State Government.
The association had issued a 21-day strike notice to the government on November 6, over failure to implement agreements reached two years ago.
However, President of the association Dr Emmanuel Joseph and Secretary, Dr Umar Musa, said in a statement that they would give the government three months grace to implement the agreement.
According to the statement, the doctors agreed not to proceed with the strike after they got a commitment from the state Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, that the government required time to implement the eight points in contention.
It said that the medical doctors would remain professional in all their actions and place the interest of patients above all other considerations.
“We have agreed to grant Government the said three months, even though same government has not shown good faith in keeping her own side of the agreement,” the statement noted.
The resident doctors appealed to well-meaning persons to prevail upon government to respect the agreement.
“If at the end of this requested period of grace, government still fails to act, we will totally place the full blame on government whatsoever the outcome maybe,” it added.
The association appreciated the support it received from other health professionals, including the Nigerian Medical Association and Medical Consultants Association of Nigeria among others over the issue.
