By Victor Ahiuma-Young
The Federal Government and leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, yesterday night signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, with a view to resolving the ongoing nationwide strike by the resident doctors.
Following the MOU, NARD leaders are expected to meet today with a view to calling of the ongoing strike.
The MOU was signed at a conciliation meeting convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Dr Chris Ngige, attended by the leadership of NARD and the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, the Federal Ministry of Health, FMoH, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, FMoFB&NP, as well as the office of Accountant General of the Federation.
The Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, his Labour and Employment counterpart, Festus Keyamo SAN, and the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris also participated in the meeting, which lasted for about six hours.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Ngige, informed that NARD admitted that the Hospitals and Isolation Centres now have sufficient Personal Protection Equipment, PPE.
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Among others, the minister said: “The Federal Government had paid N9.3 billion to Insurance Companies for Life Group Insurance and payment of death benefits for Health Workers. Enrollment was by the submission of nominal rolls by the various Health Institutions which NARD had been mandated at previous meeting to accomplish.
“The meeting further noted that claims had to be made before the Insurance benefits could be realised. It was decided that NARD should submit copies of claims already made to the Insurance Companies through the Hospitals to the Federal Ministry of Health for onward transmission to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation that would ensure that the Insurance Companies pay the claims. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment should be copied.”
