UCH doctors solicit stakeholders’ intervention to avert another strike

Resident doctors in University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, on Tuesday urged stakeholders to compel the tertiary hospital management to pay their salary shortfalls as directed by the Federal Government.

Dr Segun Olaopa, the President, Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), told our correspondent that the association would continue further dialogue with the management on non-payment of the salary shortfalls.

“We are weary of going on strike after the 10 days notice of strike issued to management lapsed on the Monday, Oct. 23.

“We implore management to do the needful in order to avert another strike.

“At the Congress held on the evening the notice lapsed. It was agreed that we should engage management in further dialogue till October salaries are paid to avoid loss of patients’ lives and to prove to the public that we are willing to show more restraint.

“It has become imperative to draw the attention of the press and the public to the brewing issues in UCH. These issues if not addressed, may impact negatively on the existing industrial harmony at the hospital.

“These issues include: non-payment of our September salary, 28 per cent shortfall in August salary, 2016 shortfalls of 11 months till date and work overload due to management’s refusal to employ new residents.

“Presently, the number of residents stands at 525; this has reduced to 454, as some of them have completed their residency. By this October, 40 among us will also finish the residency.

“The implication of this is that the remaining few residents are given work overload and this should not be; management should employ more residents to make the workload easy and to achieve maximum productivity.

“Resident doctors’ accommodations need to be rehabilitated. The conditions of those flats are nothing to write home about.

“The hospital has witnessed major burglary attacks recently and we are more concerned about the security of resident doctors’ quarters.

“Further investigation by our association to press home our demand on security of our members and families, revealed that management still owes them salaries,” he said.

It was reported that the association on Friday, Oct. 13 gave the hospital management another 10-days strike notice to protest unpaid salaries.

The 10-days strike notice expired on Monday Oct. 23.

Part of the outcome of the dialogue, which led to the suspension of the strike, was that government would release money to pay the doctors’ backlog of salaries.

The NARD claimed that the Federal Government had released the funds to clear the backlog salary arrears but UCH management was yet to pay these arrears.