Sodiq Ojuroungbe
The members of the Association of Resident Doctors, University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo State, have embarked on a 14-day warning strike due to the non-payment of new members’ salaries for seven months
The striking resident doctors also staged a peaceful protest to press home their demands and carried placards with various inscriptions inscribed with threats to ground activities at the hospital if their demands were not met.
President of the UNIMEDTH ARD, Dr John Matthew, said their members who joined the institution were yet to be paid.
Matthew cited reasons such as inadequate manpower as a result of doctors leaving the institution; non-payment of February hazard allowance despite a state government agreement to pay for two months, and non-payment of palliative to House Officers since February as other grounds for the strike.
He lamented that there were only 26 members of ARD in the hospital against 150 members a few months ago.
“We demand full payment of the arrears of salaries owed to our members and payment of February 2024 palliative to our House officers.
“Management should pay February hazard allowance to our members and urgently address the severe clinical manpower shortage in the institution. Our members work every day. There are no staff due to japa syndrome,” he added.
The Ondo State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association had in February called on the state government to address the issue of shortage of resident doctors in state-owned hospitals.
The association said many of the doctors in the state had left for foreign countries for greener pastures, while some, who are still in Nigeria, had left the state for another state.
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