Resident doctors begin 5-day warning strike

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) chapter, on Wednesday commenced a five-day warning strike over alleged slash in their salaries.

Addressing newsmen after a peaceful rally at the hospital, the ARD President, Dr Ige Kolawole, said that they were forced to embark on the strike following the continued deduction of their salaries since January 2014.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ARD members were armed with placards of various inscriptions as they marched round the hospital complex.

Some of the placards read: “Stop Selected Victimisation of Resident Doctors and House Officers."

“Underpayment of UITH Resident Doctors Is Deliberate by CMD; Mr CMD Disobedience to Government Directives is Illegal.’’

Kolawole said that the deduction was peculiar to UITH, as their members in other teaching hospitals across the country were receiving 100 per cent of their salaries.

The ARD president said that the hospital’s management has not given cogent reasons as to why the illegal deduction should continue.

He said that the only reasons given by the UITH Chief Medical Director, Dr Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, was that additional 150 House Officers had been employed by the hospital.

“This is demonstration of wickedness as our salaries have continued to be deducted because of additional employment of House Officers,’’ Kolawole said.

He also accused the hospital management of employing additional workers without due authorisation from the appropriate quarters.

According to Kolawole, Enough is enough in UITH, the management should stop slashing our salaries and also stop collecting pension which is being put in a special account.

He said that the association would not hesitate to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) to look into the matter.

The ARD president urged the Federal Government to intervene and stop the UITH management from further slashing their salaries and victimisation of the doctors.

When contacted, the UITH Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Omojasola, who neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, said that the management would convene a meeting to discuss issues raised by the doctors.