Christopher Isiguzo
6 September 2008
Abakiliki — Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, (EB-SUTH) at the weekend embarked on an indefinite strike over what it described as the state government's refusal to implement the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions' Salary Structure, the Association of Resident Doctors, (ARD) in the state.
The strike action, which is coming on the heels of the disbursement of about N100 million to six private hospitals by Governor Martin Elechi.
The governor, in disbursing the money, described the gesture as a fulfilment of his earlier promise to partner with the private sector in the improvement of the healthcare delivery system in the state.
The benefiting hospitals are Rural Improvement Mission, Ikwo, St. Vincent Hospital, Izzi, Sudan United Hospital, Izzi, Mile 4 Hospital, Abakaliki, Presbyterian Joint Hospital, Uburu, and Mater Misericordiae, Hospital, Afikpo.
On their part, the resident doctors, maintained that they were no longer ready to tolerate a situation where they are made to look beggarly, whereas they were asking for their rights as officials of the government at the teaching hospital.
Briefing newsmen at the Government House premises, in Abakaliki, ARD EBSUTH chapter Secretary, Dr Unah Alfred said their decision to embark on the indefinite strike, which he said would culminate in the grounding of activities at the hospital, was because they had exhausted all avenues aimed at making government to attend to their demands.
"We are also asking the government to upgrade the hospital in terms of medical and teaching facilities for the better healthcare of the patients and better training of the doctors themselves as well as to improve the manpower in the hospitals in term of resident doctors which presently is at its lowest ebb.
Most of the resident doctors are leaving the hospital in search of greener pastures elsewhere. We have long before made the plea to the government eight months ago. We have being exchanging correspondences, yet to response," the secretary noted.
The doctors maintained that the action became inevitable due to the refusal of the EBSUTH management and the government of the state to address the issues demanded as contained in no less than three separate letters addressed through the state commissioner for Health and Chief Medical Director of the hospital respectively to the government and having exhausted all diplomatic and bureaucratic options available without success.
"The most senior doctor in this hospital receives the salary of the youngest doctor working in other tertiary institutions. Among the three tertiary institutions in the state, only the Teaching hospital has not received the arrears of Monetized salary structure and up till now, nothing is being said about it.
"The four per cent increase in transportation allowances and other remunerations are also yet to be paid and have lowered the morale of the teaching hospital workers who have been grumbling in silence for years. The ARD being the foot soldiers of the hospital and the engine house of the work force has made frantic efforts to get the message across to the government through her agents but has gotten no positive results," the lamented.
On the donation of the large sum to the private hospitals, Elechi said his administration was determined to change the face of the healthcare delivery system in the state, both at the private and government angles, adding that the gesture was also another way of encouraging them in their efforts to reach out to the less privileged ones in the rural areas.
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Instead of our officials travelling overseas for medical treatment,as our incumbent president does,it will be better to upgrade our teaching hospitals to be able to offer the same quality of service as obtains overseas.Very many Nigerian resident doctors have travelled overseas where their services are valued,and they are well paid.I suggest that the Eboyi state govt. should listen to the doctors,and try to end their strike because it is to the detriment of the masses ,and not the officials who can opt to go overseas on public charge.