NARD demands 200 percent salary increment 

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors(NARD), on Tuesday, May 2nd, said that its demand for 200 percent was not unheard of as the Federal Government could afford it. 

The association  had threatened to embark on strike, if the government failed to meet its demands within two weeks of making it.

NARD demanded the 200 percent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure(CONMESS), and payment of the salary arrears to resident doctors.

Its declaration was a response to the claim of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, that government had no resources to meet what he described as outrageous demand by the resident doctors, adding that resident doctors often demonstrate an ”entitlement syndrome.”

While replying to Ngige in an interview on Channels Television programme on Tuesday, NARD president, Innocent Orji, said doctors and nurses were not part of the last minimum wage increase.

According to him, any increment to their pay should be based on the inflation rate from 2009 till date.

“When people hear that we are demanding 200 percent upward review, it may sound outrageous but we didn’t just come up with that figure. 

”I’ll give an instance, the exchange rate then was N152/$1. We know what it is today. The fuel price then was N65/litre. We know the amount today and there is even an imminent increment.”