The Abuja chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD-FCTA) on Tuesday began an indefinite strike to press home their demand for timely and adequate payment of their salary, among other demands.
The strike is coming at a very critical time when the Federal Government has just announced a third confirmed case of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Lagos State.
The ARD-FCTA is the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) chapter of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, comprising doctors practising in the 14 districts and general hospitals, departments of public health and primary health care development boards under the federal capital territory administration (FCTA), excluding the consultants.
In a statement, the association President, Roland Aigbovo, said that members were thrown into serious financial distress following the non-payment of salary when due.
He said: Our members were thrown into serious financial distress following the non-payment of our salary when due. We waited patiently after the end of 2019 and New Year celebrations, till the third week of February, only for us to receive a paltry sum as January salary.
“The money received ranges from one-fifth to one-tenth of our salary, with the exclusion of the newly employed members who have not been paid for about five to seven months.
“Arising from our first quarter ordinary general meeting held on February 24, a 14-day ultimatum was issued to the FCTA management to resolve the following issues: Payment of the balance skipping areas, payment of first 28 days already approved by the Honourable Minister of FCT, payment of 2016, 2017 and 2018 promotion arrears, improvement on the security situation in our hospitals, and provision and maintenance of equipment and infrastructure in our hospitals.
“The 14 days ultimatum lapsed on March 6 and a seven-day extension was granted by the congress of our association at an emergency general meeting with inclusion of the payments of February 2020 salary.”
Aigbovo added: “It will interest you to know that on March 13, FCTA began the payment of February 2020 salary with no third-party deductions such as pensions, tax, NHF, association’s dues, cooperative contributions and other likely loans repayment.
“Our newly employed members were paid only one month out of five to seven months and the house officers were paid the two months without the consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage and the arrears.
“An emergency general meeting of our association was held yesterday (Monday) and it was agreed that until all our demands were met, the indefinite strike action, which began yesterday (March 16), will continue.”
The House of Representatives has intervened in the indefinite strike embarked on by doctors in the employ of the Federal Capital Territory.
There were indications last night that the doctors might suspend the action they embarked upon to protest the non-payment of their salaries.
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Lanre Lasisi, said in a statement that the dispute between the doctors and their employers had been resolved following intervention of the Rep Tanko Sununu-led Committee on Health Services acting on the directive of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
Also, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in Gombe State has embarked on an indefinite strike over working conditions.
The President, Dr. Saidu Alhassan, speaking at a news briefing in Gombe, said that the doctors proceeded on strike after 11 weeks of inconclusive negotiations with the government.
He said members are facing challenges among which is the refusal of the government to upgrade house officers on internship.
Alhassan added: “It was also over failure to honour the Federal Government circular on skipping, leading to the current brain drain in which more than 30 doctors and two consultants have left the services of the government in the last six months.”
He accused the government of failing to “upgrade and promote our members, some of whom are still being paid house officers’ salary despite being medical officers.”
He said some of the doctors have spent six years, while others have become consultants with no complementary allowances.
The ARD president said the strike will continue until the government responds to the doctors’ grievances.
Health Commissioner Dr. Ahmed Gana told reporters that the government was aware of the concerns of the association and was doing its best to address the issues.
He, however, said that the problems were inherited by the government, with some dating back to more than three years.
“Despite the financial constraints, the government has set in motion a machinery to address the demands in short and long terms,” the commissioner said.
