Resident doctors withdraw suit against JUTH, seek Buhari’s assent to RTP act

The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) has withdrawn the suit against the management of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and has opted for Out of Court Settlement on the issue of unjustly sacked resident doctors in the hospital.

This is part of the resolutions of the association rising from an Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting (E-NEC), which held in Abuja on Saturday. The doctors during the meeting also observed that the Residency Training Programme (RTP) Act passed long ago by the legislature is still awaiting presidential assent despite it being central to addressing the challenges in Post Graduate Medical Training in Nigeria.

The NEC therefore unanimously appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to graciously assent to the RTP Act so as to lay to rest all the contentious issues affecting resident doctors in Nigeria.

According to the communiqué, there is also an extant circular on duration of Residency Training Program (RTP) released by the Federal Ministry of Health on July 18, 2014 which is not being implemented by many Tertiary Health Institutions.

The resident doctors had earlier doubted the possibility of guaranteeing industrial harmony following the expiration of 63days ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to effect recall of all sacked residents doctors in JUTH and also to meet all outstanding agreement contained in the September 6, 2017 Memorandum of Terms of Settlement.