Why We Suspended Our Strike – Kaduna Resident Doctors
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Kaduna State branch on Sunday said the reason they suspended their 19 days old strike was to shows respect to the Kaduna state government and wait while they fulfill their promise of meeting all demands they had earlier laid before them.
The doctors had embarked on an indefinite strike on 3rd October 2017, after an expiration of 21 days ultimatum, following failed negotiations by the state government.
President of ARD, stated this at a press briefing immediately after an emergency meeting by the association to deliberate on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the state government.
According to him, “the secretary to the State Government reconvened a meeting on Wednesday 11th October 2017, attended by the Head of Service, Hon. Commissioners of Health and human Services, and that of Youth, Sports and Culture, and Permanent Secretaries from the Office of the head of Service, Ministry of Health and Human Services and Office of the Secretary to the State Government on one hand, with our delegations on the other hand, where we took each demand and extensively deliberated between both parties and resolution reach accordingly.
“This gave us the impetus to called for an emergency congress that just ended a few minutes ago. In which the MoU reached with Government was reviewed and signed by our Executive.
“We are suspending this strike temporarily with effect from 12 mid-might of today 22nd October 2017. Hoping Government will fulfill their promises and we will be assessing the situation from time to time until we are satisfied with the implementation.”
He thanked every concerned stakeholders in the state for their throughout the period of the strike, adding, “We will like to particularly thank the public for its continued support during the course of this painful industrial action. We will like to assure them that they will forever take them as priority in every action we take.
“We will like to also thank the officials of NMA Kaduna state, MDCAN BDTH and Medical Directors forum of Ministry of Health Kaduna state, for their enduring support during this period.”
