Resident doctors call off strike in Gombe

The Gombe state chapter of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called off the indefinite strike it embarked upon on March 16.

President of the association in the state, Dr. Saidu Alhassan, disclosed this at a news conference in Gombe on Sunday.

Alhassan said that the association decided to call off the strike for the sake of humanity and intervention by some senior colleagues.

“Our decision to suspend the indefinite strike was informed by our association’s congress held on March 21.

“Congress has suspended the ongoing indefinite strike considering the recent coronavirus cases in the country and the commitment shown by stakeholders in the health sector.

“The congress also appreciated the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) both at the national and states level as well as senior colleagues in the profession for showing concern,’’ he said.

Alhassan said that NARD expects the state government to reciprocate by meeting its demands as soon as possible.

He noted that the association was convinced that the state government has shown commitment by compiling the list of financial implications as well as constituting the civil service commission to address the issues.

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He however, warned that any victimisation of NARD members would not guarantee industrial harmony in the state.

The association had embarked on the strike on March 16 following the state government’s inability to meet its demands after 11 weeks of inconclusive negotiations.

Some of its demands were the upgrade of house officers currently on internship and complementary allowance for consultants and doctors, who had put in up to six years in service.