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Tayo Busayo, Abuja
DAILY COURIER – The Federal Capital Territory chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), has threatened a ‘deadliest shutdown’ of hospitals in Abuja if its demands are not met within two weeks.
ARD President, Dr George Ebong, who issued the warning on Monday, during a press conference at Wuse District Hospital, Abuja, called the attention of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to urgently focus on the well-being of doctors who are on the verge of extinction due to economic hardship.
The association is demanding payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund of 2024, review of bonding policy to two years instead of 6 years, implementation of skipping and issuance of skipping letters to members employed in 2023, immediate payment of accoutrements allowance for 2024, payment of outgoing 13 months hazard allowance arrears and the conversion of ARD FCTA Post 2 members to consultants and employment of health care workers.
Giving the FCT minister 14 days to act on the demands to avert shutdown of hospitals in the nation’s capital, Ebong, who “appreciates the minister for his infrastructural development in the FCT since his emergence”, called his attention to the negligence of doctors in the territory.
He said, “We want him to know that doctors are an abandoned project. While he fixes the infrastructural abandoned project, we are the human abandoned projects. We believe the minister can deal with the challenge. We want the minister to clear 6 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 for two years instead of 6 years.
“Other demands are we want the minister to enforce the implementation of skipping and issuance of skipping letters to our members employed in 2023, immediate payment of accoutrements allowance for 2024, payment of outgoing 13 months hazard allowance arrears, and the FCTA management should fast-track conversion of ARD FCTA Post 2 members to consultants and expedite the process of employment of health care workers to buffer the manpower shortage in the Nation’s capital hospitals.
“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, leaving 14 days. 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.”
