By Kamil Opeyemi
The Federal Government has approved the payment of twenty five thousand naira (N25,000) as peculiar allowance for medical and dental doctors in hospitals, medical centres and clinics in the federal public service.
This comes after the wake of the ongoing indefinite strike embarked on by the National Association of Resident Doctors.
The allowance is to be paid from the overhead budget according to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the national salary and wages commission, Ekpo Nta who disclosed in a statement.
Government also issued circulars on some of the demands of the doctors on strike, including the Circular on Review of CONMESS which indicates twenty five percent for CONMESS one to six ( 1-6) and thirty five percent for CONMESS seven ( 7) .
Another Circular is on Review of CONHESS which shows twenty-five percent (25%) for CONMESS one to fourteen (1-14) and thirty-five percent (35%) for CONHESS fifteen (15 ) Also included is the circular on Hazard Allowance for Doctors working outside hospitals.
Resident Doctors had declared an indefinite strike on Tuesday night.
NARD President, Dr Emeka Orji, who disclosed this to journalists, said the strike would begin Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at 12am.
The doctors had kept to their vow.
According to him, the doctors are demanding the implementation of the one-for-one replacement policy for healthcare workers; the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to discontinue the downgrading of the membership certificate issued by the West African Postgraduate Medical and Surgical Colleges; the immediate payment of all salary arrears; the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure; a new hazard allowance; and the domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act; among others.