NARD threatens nationwide strike over poor treatment of members

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given all the state governments owning its members in their various teaching hospitals salary arrears two-week ultimatum to pay up or ready for national industrial dispute.

The association led by its President, Dan-Jumbo Prince listed the affected states as Oyo, Osun, Lagos, Abia, Imo and Benue, where their various reaching hospitals were owing NARD members months of salaries and allowances.

At a media parley held at the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) secretariat, Ibadan,association which came to Oyo State because of the trauma its members at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital had been facing due to non-payment of salaries by the state government since the beginning of this year said the proposed action would be non-discriminatory because, “an injury to one is an injury to all”.

Recalling that the Ogbomoso LAUTECH Teaching Hospital was commissioned in 2011 with full complement of manpower and infrastructures, NARD lamented that the tertiary health institution had struggled through every stage of development since inception as though it were a child born with parents taking little or forced responsibility on her.

He said though, the mandate of the hospital was to deliver affordable, accessible health care to the esteemed citizens of Ogbomoso and its environs, Jumbo Prince lamented that the citizens of the state had been denied the best of care to be provided by the hospital due to staggering and unstable environment under the present administration of governor Abiola Ajimobi.

The association which accused governor Ajimobi of lack of interest in engaging in dialogue over the plight of its members in the hospital noted that the current situation of things in the hospital would hinder the youths and the younger generation of Oyo State citizens from actualizing their dreams of becoming doctors.

While saying that it is an understatement to submit that the hospital is decaying, NARD posited that the goal of teaching hospital to render qualitative medical services, training and research was being defeated by what it called “neglect by the Oyo State Government which inadvertently has also affected residency training in thus hospital”.

It also blamed the state government for its lack of commitment and fairness, non-composition of hospital board for the teaching hospital which it said had a well spelt out edict establishing it as well as the menace of apathetic and passive management of the hospital for the woes of its members.

Corroborating its accusation of bias and unfair treatment by the state government, NARD said, “how can we explain the situation where only the staff of the hospital has not been paid salary since the beginning of this year, when other civil servants in the state employment have collected salary?

“We are forced to believe, based on the disposition above that Oyo State Government is deliberately and systematically killing the teaching hospital in Ogbomoso” and for the state government to debunk this allegation, the association asked the state governor to address the issues as they affect its members.

Remi Feyisipo