Ondo physicians go on a 14-day warning strike over salary arrears

The non-payment of seven months’ salaries to its new members has prompted the Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital in Ondo State to go on a 14-day warning strike.

Following their Tuesday demonstration on the facility’s grounds, association members threatened to halt operations at the government-owned hospital if their demands were not fulfilled.

Speaking with reporters during the demonstration, Dr. John Matthew, the president of UNIMEDTH ARD, bemoaned the fact that his organization’s members had not yet received their benefits.

He claims that there are additional reasons for the warning strike, such as the fact that house officers have not received palliative care since February, the state government promised to pay for two months’ worth of hazard allowance, but it has not done so, and there is a staffing shortage as a result of doctors leaving the facility.

He bemoaned the fact that, compared to 150 members a few months prior, just 26 ARD members were still hospitalized.

“We demand payment of February 2024 palliative to our house officers and full payment of arrears of salaries owed to our members,” he said.

“Management needs to pay our members their February hazard allowance and take immediate action to address the institution’s acute clinical manpower deficit. Every day, our members go to work. Because of the Japa syndrome, there are no employees.

The Nigeria Medical Association’s state chapter has urged the state government to address the issue of a scarcity of resident physicians in state-owned hospitals, according to The PUNCH.

Following its meeting, the organization noted in a communiqué released by Dr. Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, the state chairman, that many of the state’s doctors had gone for better opportunities elsewhere in Nigeria, while some of the remaining doctors had moved to other states.

The communique read, “There is dire shortage of health personnel in the state. Doctors have refused to take up employment with the Ondo State Government.

“It was also observed that numerous doctors within the Ondo State Civil Service left for greener pastures locally (neighbouring states such as Osun, Lagos, Ekiti, Kwara, Delta) and internationally, African Countries: Sierra Leone, Gambia, South Africa, etc and outside the continent: United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, etc.

“As of the time of writing this communiqué, there are only 22 resident doctors at UNIMEDTHC compared to the previous figure of 150 resident doctors.”