Strike: Doctors promise to return to work right away, They receive payment from FG

Dr. Anthony Anuforo, president of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife Chapter of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), has guaranteed the populace that the present strike will end as soon as the Federal Government pays members’ salaries.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ile-Ife, Anuforo provided the guarantee.
He said that since March 2023, when they raised the issue of unpaid salaries, the NARD Ile-Ife branch has been working with university administration. Some of the salaries, he added, have been overdue since January 2023.

The NARD President praised the work of the most recent interim Association for making every effort to pay the salaries and promised that his team will make much more of an effort.

He claims that underpaid benefits include wage arrears, COVID-19 benefits, and risks allowances that have been due since 2017.

Anuforo appealed to interested parties to become involved in the situation and pressure the university administration to “pay our members.”
He regretted that their demands had not been met but pointed out that the deadline assigned to the federal government on the national strike of resident doctors expires on Wednesday.

Anuforo claimed that the current NARD management, which has been in charge for the past two weeks, is making every effort to assure the payment of outstanding salary.

“I thought the strike would give the Federal Government the push it needed to move quickly on the payment and other perks.

Anuforo underlined that the government should do its best for the health sector by boosting the budgetary allocation for health.

Anuforo begged the people for their understanding, saying that the strike was in the best interests of the physicians as well as the patients since a doctor who is hungry and enraged is a dangerous doctor.

Anuforo suggested, “Let government take care of association members, then the doctors would take care of patients.”

Only consultants are now caring for patients while the strike is in effect, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).