The National Association of Resident Doctors, on Sunday, faulted the N4.8bn which the Federal Government promised to release for the residency training fund.
The first Vice-President of NARD, Adejo Arome, said in an interview with the punch that the association could no longer trust the Federal Government.
Arome said this as the strike embarked upon by the association, which commenced on August 2, entered its 21st day today (Monday) as patients lament the effects of the industrial action.
The strike was called over the Federal Government’s failure to implement the agreements it signed with the doctors before they suspended an earlier industrial action.
Among others, NARD accused the government of not paying house officers and failing to register many doctors on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.
The Federal Government had a week ago headed for the industrial court after failing to convince the resident doctors to call off the strike.
But on Friday, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), directed both sides to resume negotiations.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had on Saturday said the Federal Government had agreed to pay the N4.8bn residency training fund to the association, while also stating that there were plans to ensure that other demands of NARD, such as payment of arrears and payment of house officers, among others, were met.
Ngige had also said that the association would be required to sign a Memorandum of Action today (Monday).
But on Sunday, Arome said the association no longer trusted the government to implement the agreements.
He said NARD leaders could not return to their members with promises, adding that none of the agreements earlier signed with the government had yielded positive results.
Arome stated, “The government has not met anything. Saying they have set aside any amount of money is just their usual saying.
“We cannot go back to our members with promises. We won’t sign anything again. In fact, there is nothing to sign.
“We have signed all forms of memorandum. None of the ones we have signed has brought any positive results.
“We have signed Memorandum of Understanding and Memorandum of Action, you name it.”
