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Resident doctors in Nigeria have threatened to start a nationwide strike if the federal government fails to pay their Consolidated Salary Structure (CONMESS) as well as their arrears accrued from January 2010 to date.
However, the doctors under the aegis of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NA-RD) issued a 21-day ultimatum for government to immediately begin the payment of face the strike action.
It said failure to effect the implementation would leave it with no option than to embark on indefinite strike action.
But in a swift response, Federal Government assured health unions that the new salary structure would be implemented next month.
The doctors said, as patriots, recent events that took place in the polity had restrained them from taking any action.
The body demanded among others significant improvements in the infrastructure of hospitals in addition to adequate staffing. It also called for post part 1 overseas clinical attachment for resident doctors, budgetary provision for training of resident doctors to improve the quality of specialist doctors.
It said the body would embark on a three-day warning strike with effect from October 1-3, 2010.
However, a statement issued by the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, said health sector unions would begin to enjoy the new Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for pharmacist, medical laboratory, nursing and other health workers in the Sector and Consolidated Medical Salary structure ( CONMESS) for medical and dental officers in the month of June 2010.
The minister who made this known at a meeting with the representatives of the professional bodies in the sector, in his office, said the meeting was convened as a step towards achieving President Goodluck Jonathan’s first mandate given to him on his inauguration to ensure there is unity and harmony in the sector.
"Mr. President was very concerned about the health situation of Nigerians and as such has given me the second broad mandate of speedily working to turn around the abysmal health indices of Nigerians”, he said.
He, therefore, announced the plan of Federal Government to immediately set up an all inclusive committee to come up with a workable programme on how to achieve these two broad areas of mandate.
“I hereby invite all the professional bodies and unions in the health sector to send nominations to serve on the committee and also to submit terms of reference for the committee”, he said.
Resident doctors in Nigeria have threatened to start a nationwide strike if the federal government fails to pay their Consolidated Salary Structure (CONMESS) as well as their arrears accrued from January 2010 to date.
However, the doctors under the aegis of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NA-RD) issued a 21-day ultimatum for government to immediately begin the payment of face the strike action.
It said failure to effect the implementation would leave it with no option than to embark on indefinite strike action.
But in a swift response, Federal Government assured health unions that the new salary structure would be implemented next month.
The doctors said, as patriots, recent events that took place in the polity had restrained them from taking any action.
The body demanded among others significant improvements in the infrastructure of hospitals in addition to adequate staffing. It also called for post part 1 overseas clinical attachment for resident doctors, budgetary provision for training of resident doctors to improve the quality of specialist doctors.
It said the body would embark on a three-day warning strike with effect from October 1-3, 2010.
However, a statement issued by the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, said health sector unions would begin to enjoy the new Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for pharmacist, medical laboratory, nursing and other health workers in the Sector and Consolidated Medical Salary structure ( CONMESS) for medical and dental officers in the month of June 2010.
The minister who made this known at a meeting with the representatives of the professional bodies in the sector, in his office, said the meeting was convened as a step towards achieving President Goodluck Jonathan’s first mandate given to him on his inauguration to ensure there is unity and harmony in the sector.
"Mr. President was very concerned about the health situation of Nigerians and as such has given me the second broad mandate of speedily working to turn around the abysmal health indices of Nigerians”, he said.
He, therefore, announced the plan of Federal Government to immediately set up an all inclusive committee to come up with a workable programme on how to achieve these two broad areas of mandate.
“I hereby invite all the professional bodies and unions in the health sector to send nominations to serve on the committee and also to submit terms of reference for the committee”, he said.
