Ogun Doctors Set For Strike
Omooba Risawe
Medical Practitioners under the aegis of National Association of Resident Doctors,(NARD), Ogun State Chapter on Wednesday supported the proposed industrial action being called by the national leadership.
It would be recalled that national body of the association had issued out a warning to Federal Government to addressed number of issues affecting their members which include welfare and provision of adequate medical equipment among others.
In view of this,the Federal Government Doctors working with Federal Medical Centre,FMC,Abeokuta,Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital,OOUTH,Sagamu and Neuropyhchiatric Hospital, Abeokuta held a joint press conference to declared support for the impending strike.
The leaders of the various institutions which include;Dr Taiwo Babajide(President FMC), Dr Akintola Akintunde(President OOUTH) and Dr Oluyemi Akinmolayan( President,Neurophychiatric) in one voice,declared that they would adhered strictly to the strike order of the leadership.
In the same vein , the South-West Coordinator of the bodies, Dr Oluseyi Aderinwale corroborated the decision of the zone,to be part of the strike,stressing that,’it is a directive that cannot be floated’
Speaking at the press conference, President of the association,Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta,Dr Taiwo Babajide said the health of Nigerian was not being given the attention it deserves.
Babajide added that Federal Ministry of Health was undermining staff welfare in its tertiary health institutions through improper placement of its Doctors on entry and non-adjustment of grade levels and steps of other Doctors according to corrected errors in the previous template
According to him ‘The entry point of House Officers as corrected has not been circularized despite agreements and directive to do so’.
He said Federal Ministry of Health has set out and is implementing a selective and vindictive non payment of members who have legally agitated for their due entitlements.
The association also noted that pension deductions and remittance for members have been epileptic at best which completely negates the underlying principles of pension,stressing that government has been insincere in dealing with the pension challenges of members.
‘The Federal Ministry of Health has illegally and wrongfully witheld the December 2015 salaries of our members in FMC, Owerri. It is yet to release the final white paper on template’,he noted.
‘Our members in state health institutions still groan under the enormous burden of several months of unpaid or percentage salaries.
He said the National Health Act,2014 which would serve as a panacea for some of the challenges in the health sector was yet to be implemented despite the overwhelming need for some
