The House of Representatives committee on health, has given assurance that that the ongoing strike, embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) may be called off before the weekend.
Chairman of the committee, Hon Tanko Sunumu, has therefore, directed the ministry of health to initiate the payment of outstanding salary arrears of doctors as well as their residency training funds for the year 2020 and 2021 as demanded by the striking doctors.
The chairman was speaking on Tuesday during the committee meeting with the minister of state for health, Olaronumbe Mammora and the leadership of NARD at the national assembly.
Director General, Budget office of the federation, Ben Akabueze, had informed the lawmakers that the sum of N5.42 billion naira meant for residency training for 2020 and 2021 was available and would be paid once the relevant procedure is followed.
Following the disclosure, the lawmakers mandated the relevant offices of government to immediately initiate means of payment so as to call off the strike.
The committee said the suffering Nigerians are going through due to the strike, insisting that all that needed to be done to ensure that the striking doctors resumed duties must be done.
However, as the deliberations to find lasting solutions to the issue continued, NARD chairman, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuya, told the meeting in blunt terms that the strike will not be called off insisting, “Let every body suffer the brain drain”
