The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, has suspended its planned indefinite nationwide strike following fresh commitments by the Federal Government on allowances, arrears, and training funding.
The decision is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held virtually on Saturday.
The communiqué was signed by the President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman; the Secretary-General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim; and the Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr Abdulmajid Ibrahim.
According to the communiqué, the suspension followed high-level engagements with key government officials and stakeholders.
NARD said that the NEC meeting reviewed the outcomes of interventions by the Vice President, as well as the Ministers of Health, Labour, and Finance.
It also considered engagements with key agencies, including the Budget Office, the Office of the Accountant General, and IPPIS.
Other stakeholders involved in the engagements included the Nigerian Medical Association and the Department of State Services, among others in the health and public service sectors.
The association noted that its earlier decision to embark on a total and indefinite strike arose from the Federal Government’s reversal of the implementation of the reviewed Professional Allowance Table (PAT) and other welfare concerns.
However, it observed that the decision to halt the implementation of the reviewed PAT had been reversed, with implementation expected to reflect in April salaries and subsequent months.
The NEC also noted that the Federal Government had renewed its commitment to the payment of all outstanding promotion arrears and salary arrears owed to resident doctors in affected institutions nationwide.