The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has commended the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) for their valuable contribution to the health sector.
He gave this commendation, when a delegation from the Association paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Bagudu said that the Federal government was committed to involving seasoned experts and experienced hands in the health sector, such that Nigerians could be proud of health care services rendered in the country despite the challenges in the medical field. He said the President has agreed to give an executive order that will give the health sector a quantum leap by supporting the development of medicine and its value chain.
Speaking earlier, the President of NARD, Dr. Dele Abdullahi Olaitan, said that the Association which represents all Doctors and principal medical officers below the level of consultants is the largest workforce of Doctors in the country.
Dr. Olaitan solicited for the Ministry’s intervention towards the review of their CONHESS allowances as agreed by the past administration which was to take effect from June 2023 but was not captured in the 2024 budget.
He also appealed for the fast tracking of the release of medical residency training funds by the Federal government, noting that the process of accessing the fund, so far, had been difficult and slow.