Resident doctors at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna have suspended their six-day warning strike following successful negotiations with state officials and medical associations.
The announcement was made by the President of the hospital’s chapter of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Josiah Yakubu, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday.
Yakubu explained that the decision to suspend the strike was reached after an emergency congress held on Saturday, along with a series of meetings and interventions by both the national and state leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
According to Yakubu, normal duties will resume on Tuesday, with consultants returning by 8:00 a.m. and resident doctors by 10:00 a.m.
He noted that since the industrial action began, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) had intervened on behalf of the government, facilitating discussions aimed at resolving the dispute.
Unlike an earlier meeting that resulted in termination and warning letters being issued to some doctors, the recent dialogue was more productive.
“We’ve come to understand that those punitive actions were unilaterally taken by the hospital management,” Yakubu said.
During a two-hour meeting with NMA leadership, both parties discussed the underlying issues and possible solutions to prevent further disruption of healthcare services.
The state government reportedly acknowledged the doctors’ concerns and made a formal commitment to address them.
“The Secretary to the State Government requested a two-month window to begin resolving issues related to manpower and remuneration,” Yakubu said.
A cost analysis for transitioning from the 2014 to the 2024 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) has been submitted to the SSG for review by the Governor.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed by key stakeholders, including representatives from the SSG’s office, NMA, NARD, and the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at both state and hospital levels.
The MoU is expected to be communicated to the broader congresses of ARD Kaduna and ARD Barau Dikko for appraisal.
Yakubu confirmed that both the NMA and NARD leaderships are committed to monitoring the implementation process to ensure all agreements are honored.