COVID-19 Allowance: Resident doctors suspend nationwide strike

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended the nationwide industrial action.

Dr Aliyu Sokumba who is the President of NARD, confirmed this to Channels Television on Thursday evening.

Dr Sokumba disclosed that the union will review the progress made in talks with the Federal Government in two weeks.

On Wednesday, the Federal Government and the doctors reached an agreement in a bid to end the industrial action.

During the meeting which almost took the entire day, NARD had disclosed that it will liaise with the executive council with a view to calling off the strike.

Both parties had been in talks to resolve the issues which led to NARD declaring an end to the country-wide strike.

After the meeting, the Federal said an additional N8.9 billion has been approved to pay up a large chunk of the June 2020 COVID-19 allowance to all health workers across the nation,

This was revealed by Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Ngige stated that the implementation of the payment of the Special Hazard and Inducement Allowance has been concluded, stressing that this has been cash-backed and the mandate sent to the Central Bank of Nigeria for payments to start with effect from September 9.

According to him, this will bring the total disbursement to about N288 billion.

The doctors embarked on the strike to resolve issues bothering on 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 hospitals, immediate review of the hazard allowance of healthcare workers and payment of the COVID-19 inducement allowance. (Channels TV)

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