Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have fully resumed work following the suspension of a month-long nationwide strike declared by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The industrial action, which began on November 1, was part of a nationwide directive by NARD after the Federal Government failed to address several long-standing demands critical to the welfare and efficiency of medical professionals across Nigeria.
NARD had demanded a 200 per cent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), alongside the full implementation of new allowances proposed since July 2022. The association also pushed for the urgent recruitment of clinical staff and the removal of bureaucratic delays affecting the replacement of doctors who have exited the system, among other concerns.
Speaking on the development, the President of UCH’s NARD chapter, Dr. Gboyega Ajibola, confirmed that the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) met on November 29 to reassess the situation. During the meeting, the NEC noted that the government had met “most of the immediate and short-term demands.”
According to Dr. Ajibola, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) detailing each demand and the agreed points of execution had been signed between NARD and the government, forming the basis for the decision to suspend the strike.
“Based on the satisfactory terms of the MoU, the NARD NEC decided to suspend the industrial action and give the government a period of four weeks to reappraise the efforts of the government as contained in the signed MoU,” he said.
Following the suspension, NARD mandated all chapters to hold congresses on December 1 to brief their members on the new developments and direct them accordingly. In compliance, the UCH chapter held its congress at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, where members were updated and instructed to resume duties.
Dr. Ajibola confirmed that all resident doctors at the teaching hospital have since returned to their duty posts.
