Following a two-week ultimatum, resident doctors in Nigeria have begun a five-day warning strike.
According to the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (Nard), this comes as a result of the government’s failure to meet its demands, including implementing salary and welfare agreements.
The government has issued a warning that the strike is illegal and that doctors who refuse to work will not be paid.
Residents at a government teaching hospital in Lagos told BBC News that no one would be working for the next five days.
“We are fighting for the young doctors, the old ones who have served for many years and have nothing to show for it, and we are also fighting for ourselves,” a doctor explained.
Although the government has stated that a meeting with the doctors will take place on Wednesday, the President of Nard, Dr. Emeka Orji, has told BBC News that they have not been invited to participate in any discussions.
Residents are also calling for the withdrawal of a bill proposed by parliament that would prevent newly graduated doctors from leaving the country until they have worked for five years.
The association hopes that the government will resolve the issues before President Muhammadu Buhari leaves office on May 29.
