After the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) suspended its nationwide strike, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, will return to work at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday.
Dr. Uthman Adedeji, President of ARD UCH, confirmed adherence to the national order on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.
According to NAN, NARD had already instructed its members across the country to go on an indefinite strike in protest of the Federal Government’s refusal to comply with its requests.
Among the requests are the timely disbursement of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), the immediate reversal of the amended Professional Allowance, and the payment of unpaid salary arrears and promotions.
According to Adedeji, the strike was put on hold following an Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting in which NARD instructed all members, including those at UCH, to return to work on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m.
He clarified that the decision came after the Federal Government changed its position on the updated professional allowance and promised to deal with other unresolved problems brought up by the association.
He stated that until Wednesday am, no new patients would be admitted to UCH because doctors would use that time to properly transfer patients who were already admitted to consultants.
Patients who are stable will be released, he said, and no new cases—including emergencies—will be taken until full services are resumed at the appointed time.
According to Adedeji, if the association’s leadership approves, some physicians may be given more time to treat critically ill patients after the handover window.
He reaffirmed the association’s dedication to patient care and called on the Federal Government to promptly respond to NARD’s demands in order to stop additional disruptions in the healthcare industry.
(NAN)
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