…As accreditation halts union’s resolve to join parent body on Tuesday
From: WOLE BALOGUN, ADO-EKITI
Resident doctors at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), on Tuesday, indicated their readiness to join the ongoing strike by their national body, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), adding that their joining the strike was put on hold by the ongoing accreditation of Surgery Department which is expected to end on Wednesday.
Normal activities was going on at various wards in the hospital as observed by our reporter, on Tuesday, with doctors and other medical personnel attending to patients.
President of EKSUTH chapter of NARD, Dr. Tunji Olaoye, said resident doctors at the hospital would down tools from Thursday because of poor welfare.
Olaoye revealed that the Ekiti State Government which owns the hospital was owing resident doctors six months arrears of salaries which he said has made life difficult for them.
The EKSUTH NARD boss said apart from arrears of salaries owed, doctors are not being placed appropriately which is affecting their career progression.
Olaoye said: “We are joining the strike on Thursday after the ongoing
accreditation exercise might have ended on Wednesday. We want to
appeal to our ptients to bear with us.
“The problem with us in Nigeria is that we are not sensitive to issues
that affect workers. Several ultimatums were issued but no response
from the government until the action began.
“When somebody is not well taken care of how do you expect him to give
his best? Resident doctors are just a segment of medical workers, we
have consultants on ground and other health workers.
“Most of the times, we don’t jump to strikes but the resolution
depends on the government and as soon as government meets our demands,
we will return to work.”
EKSUTH Chief Medical Director, Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe, said normal
activities were going on at the hospital but efforts are being made to
ensure that “the system does not collapse.”
Ogundipe said: “In spite of the fact that strike has commenced at the
national level, it has been deferred here (at EKSUTH) because the
accreditation team has arrived here and the strike is on hold.
“We will continue to engage our local NARD in negotiation to address
their problems so that we don’t have significant disruption of
services here.
“We should put our hands together to ensure that the system does not
collapse. We atre discussing and we are going to put our local issues
in the right perspective.
“This hospital is owned by the Ekiti State government and not the
Federal Government and the responsibility to pay falls on the state
government.”