Barring any last-minute change of plans, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) will call off its strike on Thursday, September 10, 2020.
This is the fallout of the bilateral meeting between the association and the Federal Government wherein a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two parties.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Dr Chris Ngige led the federal government team which comprises officials from the Federal Ministry of Health; Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, as well as the office of Accountant-General of the Federation.
The Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, his Labour and Employment counterpart, Festus Keyamo (SAN), and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris were also in attendance.
The meeting, which lasted about six hours also had in attendance leaders of NARD as well as that of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Senator Ngige said NARD agreed that the hospitals and isolation centres now have sufficient Personal Protection Equipment, PPE.
Among others, the “meeting noted that the Federal Government had paid N9 billion to insurance companies for Life Group Insurance and payment of death benefits for health workers.
“Enrollment was by the submission of nominal rolls by the various health institutions which NARD had been mandated at a previous meeting to accomplish.
“The meeting further noted that claims had to be made before the Insurance benefits could be realised.
“It was decided that NARD should submit copies of claims already made to the insurance companies through the hospitals to the Federal Ministry of Health for onward transmission to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation that would ensure that the insurance companies pay the claims.
“The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment should be copied.”
