Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige has condemned the list of demands contained in an ultimatum issued by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to the Federal Government.
In its ultimatum, NARD asked for tangible steps on the “upward review” of the consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS) and payment of the salary arrears to resident doctors.
The association also condemned the controversial bill seeking to compel medical and dental practitioners to practice for five years before relocating abroad.
NARD advised the Federal Government to meet the demands within two weeks or it would order its members to embark on an indefinite strike.
Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, Ngige described the demands as “absurd”
He added that the resident doctors were suffering from “entitlement syndrome”, insisting that the Federal Government has gone to great lengths to give them “everything they want”.
On the controversial bill, the minister said the executive could not do anything about it as it is a “private member’s bill”.
“So if the national association of resident doctors whom we have been managing their matters and have given everything they want.
“If you decide that we have not done enough, as I have said before, you have the option to go. It is now left to the ministry of education and health to fashion out what we can do because we train people free of charge.
“They pay a small amount for education compared to their colleagues in UK and US.
“So you also asked that a bill be taken to the national assembly be removed and that is one of the reasons you want to go on strike, how can the government remove a private member bill — it is not even an exclusive bill.
“That is absurd. That’s entitlement syndrome and the sense of entitlement is too much in this country,” Ngige said.
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