The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, has suspended its six-day warning strike following a series of meetings and interventions by the national and state leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
The chapter’s president, Dr. Josiah Yakubu, confirmed the suspension in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kaduna. He stated that the decision followed an emergency congress held on Saturday.
According to Yakubu, work will officially resume at the hospital on Tuesday, with his team expected to resume at 8:00 a.m., while other resident doctors are scheduled to resume by 10:00 a.m.
He explained that since the commencement of the industrial action, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) had stepped in to mediate on behalf of the Kaduna State Government.
“The leadership of the NMA had a follow-up meeting at the instance of the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government,” he said.
Recalling earlier tensions, Yakubu noted, “This was unlike our first meeting, where unfortunately some of our members were issued with letters of termination of appointment as resident doctors. Some others were given warning letters, with a notice of intention to terminate their appointments.”
He clarified that the punitive actions were not government-mandated but rather “unilaterally taken by the management of Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital.”
Yakubu added that the recent meeting with the NMA leadership, which lasted approximately two hours, allowed for a better understanding of the core issues and paved the way for potential solutions.
“They highlighted the possible solutions towards reaching an amicable resolution of the industrial disharmony,” he said.
“This was in such a manner that the doctors are not shortchanged and that healthcare service delivery in the state is not compromised.”
Yakubu disclosed that the state government had acknowledged the legitimacy of the doctors’ concerns and committed to addressing them within a specified timeframe.
“The Secretary to the State Government appealed for a two-month duration to enable the government to practically initiate and resolve these concerns of manpower and remuneration of doctors in the state as demanded,” he said.
He further revealed that a cost analysis for the transition from the 2014 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) to the updated 2024 version had been submitted to the SSG for transmission to the Governor.
“A Memorandum of Understanding was jointly drafted to this effect, which the SSG, Chairman of NMA Kaduna State, NARD President, President of ARD Kaduna, and President of ARD BDTH co-signed,” Yakubu stated.
He concluded by noting that the leadership of both NMA and NARD had committed to closely monitoring the implementation process until all demands are fully met.
