The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called off its month-long strike, indicating readiness to resume work on Wednesday.
The doctors had in August embarked on a nationwide strike following an impasse with the Federal government over the non-availability of medical equipment in public tertiary hospitals.
In a communique signed by the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association, Ekpe Philips Uche, after the meeting held among delegates of NMA and NARD, on Sunday in Abuja, the NMA advised NARD to stop the ongoing industrial action.
At the meeting, NMA mandated the National Officers Committee (NOC) to ensure the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Federal government on August 21.
The association directed NOC to report back to the National Executive Council of NMA periodically on the progress made regarding the implementing the MoU.
NMA also directed the NOC to continue to interface with the chairmen of the state branches, including the FCT, on the progress being made.
“We’ve officially suspended the strike to resume at 8:00 am on Wednesday. We made the decision in the wee hours of today.
“We held an emergency meeting from 5:30 p.m., on Sunday, to the morning hours of today, and the NEC decided that having reviewed the progress made so far, the strike should be suspended,” the NARD president, Godiya Ishaya, declared.
The doctors’ strike entered the ninth week on Monday, which has crippled activities in public tertiary hospitals across the country, leaving patients unattended to.