Resident doctors call off strike after 3-day agitation
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Resident doctors have called off their three-day warning strike in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja after the intervention of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike led to they receiving bank alerts of payment of six months’ salary arrears.
The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) embarked on the strike on Wednesday over salary arrears, a lack of facilities, and a measly welfare package.
ARD President George Ebong announced in a statement on Friday that the FCT Administration (FCTA) has met their (immediate) demands.
Ebong later disclosed in an update that ARD members had started receiving bank alerts of payment of six months’ salary arrears.
He said Wike
- Directed immediate payment of accoutrement allowance owed, and approved
- Medical residency bonding to two years
- Employment of doctors and allied health workers to cushion the severe shortage of manpower
- Immediate payment of locum doctors and other health workers owed.
Ebong announced that the doctors are expected to resume work on Saturday as the intervention has prevented impending indefinite shutdown of hospitals in Abuja.
He, however, urged Wike to meet other demands to avert future action.
“On behalf of the executive members and the entire supreme congress of the Association of the Resident Doctors, FCTA, I, Dr. George Ebong, deeply appreciate the Honourable Minister, Nyesom Wike, for his prompt and timely intervention in meeting our demands, thereby ending our warning shutdown and averting a looming timeless shutdown,” he said in the statement.
“The Honourable Minister intervened, approved, and ordered the immediate payment of the following:
“The 6 months of arrears of the salaries owed to doctors and other health workers; the Medical Residency Training Funds (2024) that were owed; Approval of the immediate payment of the accoutrement allowance that was owed; Approval of the medical residency bonding to 2 years; Approval of the immediate employment of doctors and allied health workers to cushion the severe shortage of manpower; Approval and immediate payment of locum doctors and other health workers that were owed.
“With this timely intervention by the Honourable Minister, every resident doctor is expected to resume his/her duty post tomorrow by 8:00 hours.
“We also humbly plead with the Honourable Minister to put a mechanism in place to avoid a repeat of this anomaly.
“While we sincerely appreciate the goodwill of the Honourable Minister, we are also hopeful that our other demands will be attended to in due time, such as the payment of the hazard allowance, the upgrading and the rehabilitation of our healthcare facilities, the conversion of post part 2 to consultant cadre, among others.
“As stakeholders in the Renewed Hope Agenda, we strongly believe in your capacity as the Honourable Minister to turn the health sector of FCTA into a reference point for others to follow.
“Be rest assured of our continuous support in the actualisation of this agenda.
“We hope that you will visit our district hospitals in no distant time as we eagerly await to warmly receive you.
“Thank you very much, our Honourable Minister; we do not take your goodwill for granted.”
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