The Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) says it will embark on a total indefinite strike from Monday, September 4.
This follows the breakdown of negotiations with the Federal Government over the demand that resident doctors be included in the Integrated Personnel Information System (IPIS).
The President ARD, UBTH, Dr Eustace Oseghale, made the announcement on Thursday in Benin City, the state capital.
The doctors said their inclusion in IPIS would enable them to get their emoluments directly from the Federal Government and curb corruption in the healthcare system.
They noted that the development would make more funds available to run the nation’s healthcare and reduce the brain-drain that is currently plaguing the sector.
This comes a day after the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) asked the Edo state government to urgently declare a state of emergency in the healthcare system.
The State NMA Chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Osaigbovo, had said on Wednesday that inadequate attention on the sector by successive administrations has led to the loss of lives of residents who fall prey in the hands of quacks.
According to Osaigbovo, some of the areas the doctors asked the state government to intervene include infrastructure, recruitment of manpower and welfare of medical personnel in the state.
He said primary healthcare system in the state was gradually dying out, causing women to deliver at home in their numbers while complicated pregnancy was almost a death sentence in the rural areas.