Osun Resident doctors begins indefinite strike

The National Association of Resident Doctors, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Chapter, has declared an indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries.

The president of the association, Dr. Wole Ayegbusi, made the announcement during a press briefing in Osogbo on Monday.

Ayegbusi alleged that some of their members in the State Teaching Hospitals have not been paid for about 10 months.

He explained that residents doctors in the Federal Teaching Hospitals last had their salaries in December 2015.

He said, “Efforts have been made by the Association to dialogue with the federal ministry of health on several occasions but all were abortive due to some instinct defect on the part of the government.

“The most saddening part of it is that our members in the state teaching hospital have not been paid for 10 months‎ and their 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.”

Apart from not being paid salaries, he also claimed that government sacked some of their members unduly.

He, however, said they have been taking care of patients  in spite of the ‎unavailability of state of the art facilities in most of their hospitals.

He added, “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 or incompetence reason, we have not been able to actualise that. Most of the community people are poor and they cannot travel abroad to get treatment.

“We want this strike to end as soon as possible because it is an avoidable one. I can see no reason why the federal government cannot answer our prayers. When president Muhammadu Buhari came to office he promised to fulfil all the agreements we have had with the government before he assumed office but nothing was done even after the ultimatum we gave.”

‎He called and urged the well meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of poor people in the country.

“Most of the community people are poor and they cannot travel abroad to get treatment,” he added.