Resident doctors under the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, on Monday commenced a nationwide indefinite strike.
The strike action according to the President of the Obafemi Awolowo University chapter of the association, Dr. Wole Ayegbusi was inevitable due to the non-payment of 10 months salaries of some of its members
Ayegbusi who spoke to journalists in Osogbo said the strike will continue until the government heed to their demands.
He said,” We have started an indefinite strike this morning to drive home our demands. The most saddening part of it is that our members in the state teaching hospitals have not been paid for 10 months and these are some of the members that are rendering essential services. We need to realise that, we cannot be comparing doctors to other civil servants because if they (civil servants) fall sick and doctors are not well paid, they will never be well attended to.
“You will be surprised that today, some federal teaching hospitals have not paid December salaries, which is unfair because it affects our productivity. Also some of our members have been sacked for an unjust cause and several times we have made efforts to dialogue with the Federal Ministry of Health but maybe due to their selfish reason or incompetence, we have not been able to actualise that. Most of the community people are poor and they cannot travel abroad to get treatment.”
Ayegbusi said it was regrettable that government could ignore the payment of some doctors who were on essential duties for as long as 10 months and expect them to be attending to patients.
He stated that the NARD had to painfully resort to the strike because it appeared the option was the only one the government listened to.
The strike action according to the President of the Obafemi Awolowo University chapter of the association, Dr. Wole Ayegbusi was inevitable due to the non-payment of 10 months salaries of some of its members
Ayegbusi who spoke to journalists in Osogbo said the strike will continue until the government heed to their demands.
He said,” We have started an indefinite strike this morning to drive home our demands. The most saddening part of it is that our members in the state teaching hospitals have not been paid for 10 months and these are some of the members that are rendering essential services. We need to realise that, we cannot be comparing doctors to other civil servants because if they (civil servants) fall sick and doctors are not well paid, they will never be well attended to.
“You will be surprised that today, some federal teaching hospitals have not paid December salaries, which is unfair because it affects our productivity. Also some of our members have been sacked for an unjust cause and several times we have made efforts to dialogue with the Federal Ministry of Health but maybe due to their selfish reason or incompetence, we have not been able to actualise that. Most of the community people are poor and they cannot travel abroad to get treatment.”
Ayegbusi said it was regrettable that government could ignore the payment of some doctors who were on essential duties for as long as 10 months and expect them to be attending to patients.
He stated that the NARD had to painfully resort to the strike because it appeared the option was the only one the government listened to.