Nigerian resident doctors start five-day warning strike

Resident doctors in Nigeria have started a five-day warning strike after a two-week ultimatum.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (Nard) said this follows the government’s failure to meet its demands, including implementing agreements on salaries and welfare.

The government has warned that the strike is illegal and doctors who refuse to work will not get paid.

When BBC News visited a government teaching hospital in Lagos, resident doctors said no one is going to work for the next five days.

"We are fighting for the young doctors, we are fighting for 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 said.

Although the government said there is a meeting with the doctors on Wednesday, the President of Nard, Dr Emeka Orji, told BBC News they have not been invited for any discussion.

Resident doctors are also calling for a withdrawal of a bill that parliament is pushing to stop recently graduated doctors from leaving the country until they have worked for five years.

The association wants the government to resolve the issues before President Muhammadu Buhari leaves office on 29 May.

This article originally appeared at BBC News.

Image via Anadolu Agency.