Resident doctors at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo, have commenced an indefinite strike in protest against unfavorable working conditions and inadequate welfare benefits.
The doctors, under the umbrella of the Association of Resident Doctors, staged a protest on Monday before announcing the industrial action on Tuesday.
According to The PUNCH, the President of ARD UNIMEDTH, Dr. Olaogbe Kehinde, expressed concern over the worsening state of healthcare delivery due to poor conditions of service.
“Many of our colleagues have been forced to resign without notice due to the harsh environment we work in,” Kehinde stated. “We’ve consistently appealed for improvements, but management has ignored our concerns.”
Among the issues raised by the doctors are illegal salary deductions, excessive taxes, non-payment of hazard allowances, and irregularities in salary payments. They are also demanding parity with other tertiary hospitals and the implementation of the new minimum wage structure.
Dr. Kehinde emphasized that the decision to strike was not taken lightly, saying, “We deeply regret the inconvenience to our patients and the public, but our pleas have been ignored for far too long.”
The immediate past ARD President, Dr. John Matthew, also decried the poor welfare conditions, which he said had caused an exodus of medical personnel to better-paying states.
“Doctors are leaving Ondo State in droves because of the wide salary disparity compared to other states like Ogun,” Matthew said.
“We’ve endured illegal deductions, high taxes, and terrible working conditions. At one point, the hospital was even disconnected from the national grid, leaving us to work in darkness.”
In response, the Chief Medical Director of UNIMEDTH, Dr. Gbala Micheal, appealed for patience, assuring the striking doctors that steps were being taken to address their grievances.
“We understand their concerns and are working to resolve the issues. However, we ask for their understanding as we need more time to implement the necessary changes,” Micheal said.
