Due to six months of unpaid salaries not being paid by the FCT Minister, the Association of Resident Doctors has threatened to go on strike, which will have an adverse effect on the health sector.
The association has given a 14-day ultimatum, or else the strike will go as planned.
At a press conference held in Wuse General Hospital on Monday, the president of the association, Dr. George Ebong, spoke about the good infrastructural work being done by the FCT Minister but equally lamented about the unpaid Medical Residency Training Fund and other unmet demands.
He said, “First, we have to appreciate the minister for his infrastructural development in the FCT since his emergence.
“We want him to know that doctors are abandoned projects. While he fixes the infrastructural abandoned projects, we are the human abandoned projects. We believe the minister can deal with the challenge.
“We want the minister to clear six months of salary arrears owed to our members employed in 2023.
“The minister should with urgency clear the payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund of 2024.
“Also, we want the minister to review the bonding policy to two years instead of six years.”
Other demands being requested by the association include the implementation of skipping and issuance of skipping letters to its members employed in 2023, immediate payment of accommodations allowance for 2024, and payment of outgoing 13-month hazard allowance arrears.
Ebong spoke about the need for urgent recruitment to handle the manpower shortage in the Hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory.
He said, “This injustice is alien to FCT; if this is allowed to continue, the nation’s health sector will collapse. We want the minister to solve the problems so doctors can practice to the best of their ability.
“We earlier gave a 21-day ultimatum last week during our Annual General Meeting. We don’t want the deadliest shutdown that may lead to loss of lives; it is important that the minister listen and act on demand without delays.”
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
