By Chioma Obinna
The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, NARD ,yesterday suspended its 3-Day nationwide warning strike which began on Wednesday.

NARD had embarked on the strike to express its displeasure over what it described as grossly inadequate budgetary allocation for residency training and to show dissatisfaction towards unbecoming attitude of the Chief Medical Director of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Prof George Akpede.

According to National President, Dr Ismail Lawal at a press conference in Lagos, the strike was suspended following series of consultations at different fora, with the Minister of Labour, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, and other stakeholders.

Ismail said the various discussions have led to favourable responses and promises which he believed led to the removal of ISTH CMD.

He said NARD’s resolve to ensure that residency training was adequately funded was a just one. “The Federal Government should allow hospitals fund it through the internally generated revenue (IGR) and subsidise it,” he added.

He said the CMD and Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) of ISTH had been removed and their post taken by other people on acting capacity.

He said there had been assurances from key stakeholders that the grievances of resident doctors across the country would soon be resolved.

He further stated that after extensive discussion with the body’s National Executive Committee (NEC) members decided to call off the strike.

”NEC will coverge at our regular meeting at the end of July to reappraise the state of things”.