UITH resident doctors begin indefinite strike, exempt members treating COVID-19 patients

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) chapter, commenced an indefinite strike on Monday.

Speaking with our reporter in Ilorin, the UITH ARD Chairman, Dr Lanre Olosunde, however, said that members attending to COVID-19 patients were exempted from the strike, for now.

He added that this was done to consider the patients being managed for COVID-19.

Olosunde explained that this had become necessary so that patients would not suffer, as they would be attended to by the consultants at the UITH.

He said that this was in the spirit of solidarity with Nigerians, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic and in spite of the insensitivity of government to the legitimate demands of doctors, who, he said, had been sacrificing their lives in the fight against COVID-19.

“We decided to exempt doctors who are currently attending to patients with COVID-19 at the various treatment centres across the nation.

“We hope that the federal and state governments will quickly attend to these demands and ensure necessary improvements in the health sector.

“This will ensure the delivery of quality healthcare to the citizens of Nigeria by well-motivated and healthy doctors,” he said.

Olosunde attributed the strike, which he said, had become inevitable, to the refusal of government to attend to the plights of the resident doctors.

According to him, their demands include access to appropriate personal protective equipment by healthcare workers in all the federal and state tertiary health institutions.

Others, he said, were the universal domestication and implementation of MRTA in all tertiary hospitals in the country and eradication of pay disparity among doctors of equal cadre.

Olosunde also listed immediate implementation of the revised hazard allowance and payment of the COVID-19 inducement and failure of government to capture funding for Medical Residency Training in 2020 budget as part of other demands.

He said that the association appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the course of Nigerians and appealed to him to call relevant agencies to order and fulfill the demands of the ARD.

“We appeal to Nigerians to bear with us and understand this as a battle to save the almost dead health sector,” he said.