After an Emergency Delegates Meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association, which lasted till the early hours of Tuesday, doctors voted for the continuation of its nationwide strike.
Dr. Titus Ibekwe, the Vice President of the NMA, confirmed the decision to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ibekwe said the doctors rejected the agreement with the government.
The doctors embarked on an indefinite strike on Tuesday.
Ibekwe said that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the government and the NMA on July 3, but the delegates at the meeting rejected it.
He said: “At the end of our emergency delegates meeting, which ended at around 4.30am today, the MoU was unanimously voted against by all the delegates from all the states in the federation.
“We, at the executive level, have to carry out this decision.
“So, the strike continues.”
Dr. Jibril Abdullahi, the National President of the Association of Resident Doctors, a body under the NMA, told NAN that the association also had an emergency National Executive Council Meeting on Monday.
Abdullahi confirmed that at the emergency NEC and delegates meeting of NARD and NMA, members were not satisfied with the MoU.
He said: “An MoU was signed with the government with a proviso that it will be presented to the National Executive Council members and delegates at both NARD and NMA meetings for their consideration.
“We are not satisfied with the terms of the MoU.
“So the strike continues.”
The doctors had made a 24-point demand, including the appointment of four deputy chairmen, Medical Advisory Committee for Teaching Hospitals and establishment of three Federal Medical Centres in the country.
Others are the appointment of only medical doctors as chief medical directors, relativity in the health sector, skipping of Grade Level 12 for medical and dental practitioners and reintegration of its members into the IPPIS platform.
The association also demanded increased hazard and specialist allowances, budget for residency training, speedy passage of the Health Bill, appointment of a Surgeon-General of the Federation and universal health coverage, among others.
Trending
- Traditional ruler shot dead inside palace
- Primate Ayodele to Yoruba Nation agitators: You can’t break Nigeria
- Police intercept bags of Indian Hemp at Lagos jetty
- Enugu, families to give Ibu, Junior Pope befitting burial
- Police arrest suspects for attempting to disrupt inauguration of commissioners
- Police rescue three children locked up by grandmother + Photo
- Police foil attack in Katsina, neutralise suspected bandit
- US vetoes Palestine’s request for full UN membership