The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) says it has given the Federal Government 30 days ultimatum to recall its members whose appointment were terminated in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

The association disclosed this in a communique issued at the end of it National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

It said that the ultimatum would take effect from Monday April 2.

The communique, jointly signed by Dr. Ugochukwu Chinaka, the NARD President, Dr Ugochukwu Eze, its Publicity Secretary and Dr Osinachukwu Nnadi, the Secretary General.

The association also urged government to recall members that were unjustly sacked by the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia in May last year.

It said that the ultimatum was aimed at getting the concerned authorities to recall the affected doctors at FMC, Umuahia, and JUTH respectively as well ensure full payment of their emoluments from the date their appointments were termination to date.

It decried the termination of appointment of resident doctors by JUTH management in spite of court injunction last August restraining the management from sacking the resident doctors.

The association also condemned the withholding of dues deducted from members by JUTH management since January and called for immediate remittance of all monies belonging to state chapter and national bodies to their respective coffers.

“NARD may not be able to guarantee industrial harmony in her respective branches failure of government to meet up with its resolutions,” it noted.

Some of other observations of the association in the communique included the release of extant circular on duration of Residency Training Programme (RTP) by the Federal Ministry of Health and non-recognition of July 2014 extant circular on RTP by JUTH, among others.

The association identified failure of JUTH to recognise the extant circular on RTP as a major challenge or problem affecting resident doctors in the country.

It further demanded for urgent implementation of July 2014 circular by all Federal Teaching Institutions yet to commence.

The association listed the defaulting institutions to include FMC Umuahia, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).

“We plead with President Muhammadu Buhari to use his good office to graciously assent to the Residency Training Programme for law to rest all the contentious issues affecting resident doctors in the country.

“The Federal Ministry of Health is hereby advised to dispatch the 2014 extant circular to keep all Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) in proper perspective.

“NARD demands FG to meet all outstanding agreement as contained in September 6 2017 on Memorandum of Terms of Settlement (MOTOS) between government, NARD and NMA,” it said. (NAN)

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