Members of the Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo Town, have embarked on an indefinite strike, citing poor conditions of service.
The striking resident doctors commenced the industrial action on Monday, December 30 with a peaceful protest within the hospital’s premises.
The action followed the failure of the management of the hospital to accede to their demands.
They demanded that illegal deductions from their salaries be stopped, a check on huge payment of taxes, non-payment of hazard allowance amongst others.
President of ARD, UNIMEDTH, Olaogbe Kehinde, said the workload was too much for doctors in the hospital.
He said many doctors have resigned while others left without prior notification due to poor conditions of service.
Olaogbe stated that the hospital management refused to heed to their request for a review of their working conditions.
He said the strike action was a difficult decision for the association, but due to the failure of management to address critical issues affecting its members, infrastructure, and the delivery of quality healthcare services, the strike was called
He said doctors could no longer work under conditions that undermine their well-being and compromise patients’ care.
He urged the state government to expedite payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances, improve working conditions in the three centres across the state, and ensure prompt implementation of their demands.
“We demand the correction of irregularities and discrepancies in salary payments, the implementation of the new minimum wage scale, and parity in salary payments with other tertiary hospitals as stipulated in the teaching hospital constitution, among other issues,” he said.
“We deeply regret any inconvenience this strike may cause to patients and the public.”
Immediate past President of the striking doctors, John Matthew, said the disparity between the salary of doctors in Ondo State and other states is huge due to illegal deductions and taxes.
Matthew said that many doctors in the state have taken up appointments in other states.
“We will not return to work until our demands are met. Money is the core issue because that is what is driving doctors away. There is a huge disparity in payment between Ondo and Ogun States. Doctors will go to states that are giving doctors good welfare packages but they are worsening the terrible welfare here,” he noted.
“The issues are Illegal deductions from our salary and the humongous taxes we are paying. It is killing the system and driving doctors away.
“The hospital was disconnected from the national grid and we were sleeping and working in the dark.”
Many patients in the hospital have lamented neglect as the resident doctors deserted the facility.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Gbala Micheal, has pleaded with the striking doctors for more time to enable management address their grievances.
The doctors had in April 2024 gone on a 14-day warning strike, citing the same reasons.
Among other grievances, the striking doctors cited the non-payment of seven months’ salaries to their new members.
They vowed to halt activities until their concerns were addressed by the government
