Moltisanti A.

It’s very easy for people to open their mouths and keep shouting “Resume RESIDENCY! Resume RESIDENCY! Resume RESIDENCY!” Nobody is talking about the real question: Will these doctors actually get paid? How will they be paid? We are walking straight back into the same problem we had in 2022 and 2023. Residents would pack their bags, resume duty, and at the end of the day, they would not get paid. When they eventually fought to collect their money, some people started accusing NARD of going to negotiate with IPPIS, the same system that had been used to deduct and withhold their salaries for months. They had to struggle just to get paid for eight months of work they had already done. It is easy to sit here and say “people should resume residency.” It is not easy. These doctors are being asked to work for four to six months without any salary. Four to six months with no pay. So when some people express their disdain or frustration toward residents, it is understandable. Nobody should be held hostage over their salary. Look at the money the government suddenly finds when it wants to. Today they have released ten billion naira for fighting Ebola. But when it comes to paying the people who actually do the work, suddenly there is no money anywhere. The only money that is always available is the money for embezzlement.