The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors doctors has adjourned the meeting of its extraordinary National Executive Council till Wednesday Jkcyno news reports.
The council is expected to decide on whether members of the association should embark on industrial action or not.
Our correspondent learnt that the meeting, which was held on Saturday, was inconclusive.
The meeting was convened as a follow-up to previous ones held to decide on the ultimatum issued to state and Federal Governments concerning the doctors’ demands.
The PUNCH reports that the resident doctors had on July 30, 2022, issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to implement all the agreements it had with them or risk an indefinite strike.
NARD’s demands include the payment of the newly-reviewed Medical Residency Training Fund; the immediate implementation and payment of the new hazard allowance and arrears and many others.
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At the expiration of the ultimatum, the resident doctors shifted their decision on the ultimatum by one week to give room for more dialogue between the parties involved, particularly with the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Again, on August 21, 2022, the association extended the ultimatum by two weeks to give room for intervention by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Employment. It then scheduled an extraordinary NEC meeting from Friday, August 19 to Sunday, August 21, 2022, at Ilorin, Kwara State.
Also, after the expiration of the ultimatum on September 5, the association scheduled another extraordinary NEC meeting for Saturday, September 10, 2022, in Jos, Plateau State.
However, after several hours of deliberations, the NEC could not reach a concrete decision on the ultimatum.
Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, the NARD President, Dr Dare Ishaya, said the council adjourned and would reconvene virtually on Wednesday.
Ishaya said, “We are on recess and we are resuming on Wednesday by 4pm to conclude the meeting. We are on recess because some contentious issues may lead to an unfavourable outcome.
“I have seen some progress and I want the progress to materialise so that I wouldn’t allow the NEC to take decisions based on the mood and I didn’t want the decisions to be taken on some of the issues like the MRTF allowance, hazard allowance and the committee to look into paying them.
“I have seen significant progress but there are some details I don’t have to be able to persuade the majority. Many are convinced but the result is not as overwhelming or as significant as I think, so I don’t want to risk deciding on it.
“We have been making some progress but some say they are not convincing enough while some believe they are convincing. So, I don’t want to have a divided house so that we don’t have an outcome that is not good.”
We will have the meeting on Wednesday virtually on zoom.”
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