Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, on Friday, in compliance with strike called by their national body, boycotted work, leaving hundreds of patients stranded.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) commenced a five-day warning strike on Friday following the expiration of its ultimatum to the federal government.
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The demands raised by the doctors include the non-release of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, non-payment of five months arrears arising from the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, as well as outstanding specialist and hazard allowances.
The strike coincides with ongoing industrial action by resident doctors in Abuja and Oyo State and comes after NARD issued a 10-day ultimatum to relevant government agencies over unmet demands.
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A NAN correspondent who monitored situation at the UCH reports that many patients at the accident and emergency unit of the hospital were denied admission on account that there were no doctors to attend to them.
A security officer, who did not want his name published, said that no patient has been admitted since he resumed duty early on Friday morning.
A patient at the General Out-Patients (GOP) Clinic, Kazeem Ajibade, said that few patients were attended to early in the morning, while others were sent back around 8.00 a.m., the time fixed by the doctors to commence their strike.
The President of the Association of Resident Doctors, UCH, Gboyega Ajibola, said the strike is to draw government’s attention to their demands, which remain unattended to.
Mr Ajibola noted that this is a warning strike to last for five days, as agreed at the last meeting of the National Executive Council of NARD.
He said the strike would be called off if a minimum demand is met.
“The demands that we have been talking about are about five, which are, the unpaid 2025 Medical Residency Training Funds to over 2,000 of our members across the geopolitical zones of the country,” he said.
“The salary arrears of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) Review of 2023 and unpaid 2024 equipment allowance.”
Mr Ajibola said members of the association also faced delayed recognition and the non-issuance of the post-graduate certificates.
“We are calling on the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to have a roundtable discussion with NARD on this so that the certificate can be recognised.
“Also, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, as we speak, is not issuing the certificate at all,” he lamented.
According to him, resident doctors in Kaduna and Oyo states have been facing challenges of total neglect of the necessary welfare packages that are supposed to be provided by the state governments.
“The resident doctors in Kaduna State have been on an industrial action since 1 August, and their demand is that
“Also, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, resident doctors have also been on an indefinite strike, since 1 August on the demand of implementation of the minimum wage that has been implemented for other workers in Oyo state.”
Lagos resident doctors
Resident doctors across some hospitals in Lagos State have demonstrated full compliance with the five-day warning strike.
A visit by NAN on Friday to some health institutions including the Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and National Orthopedic Hospital Igbobi Lagos (NOHIL), showed full compliance, as resident doctors were not working.
The President, Association of Residents Doctors, LUTH, Benjamin Uyi, urged the government to address the demands of resident doctors before expiration of the warning strike to encourage the doctors go back to work.
Mr Uyi said the doctors’ demands were long overdue and should have been addressed by the government earlier before now.
According to him, the demands of the doctors centred on prioritising welfare, to make their operations more conducive and motivating.
“Any doctor whose welfare is not met is already a risk to the patients,” he said.
“For any doctor to function optimally, his/her physical, mental health and psychosocial needs must be balanced.
“The doctors are already burnt out and faced with excessive workload and work schedule, and the government is yet to prioritise their welfare.”
Speaking the President, Association of Resident Doctors, NOHIL, Babatunde Egberongbe, described the incident as “unfortunate”.
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Mr Egberongbe, who frowned at incessant industrial actions by health professionals, said it is a major contributing factor to the migration of health practitioners to other countries.
“The poor working conditions for the doctors are the major reason why many of them are leaving the country to practice abroad,” he said.
“Presently, there are limited number of doctors in hospitals across the country, yet the government has not deemed it necessary to prioritise their welfare and demands.
“Let the government as a matter of urgency address our demands, because we are not asking for anything extraordinary,” he said.
(NAN)
