From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Medical doctors in Abuja under the umbrella of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) have threatened to embark on strike over unpaid salaries and other entitlements.
Its Chairman, Dr. Nnamdi Ezuma, in the statement, said an industrial action that would disrupt medical services in public hospitals, would reawaken the consciousness of government to the plight of the doctors.
He said the issues in contest by the doctors have lingered for several years despite negotiations by health workers and government, especially resident doctors, for positive changes.
“This issues ranges from unpaid salaries for some months in 2019, promotion arrears from 2016, 2017, 2018; COVID-19 allowances for the workers at isolation centres, skipping of newly employed doctors, among others. Health workers in the FCTA are seriously groaning under these issues.
“It is quite unfair to the health workers, especially resident doctors in the FCT who have their work place as the only source of income. Imagine that doctors that were promoted and backdated are yet to be paid their earned arrears since 2016. Most of them are now due for another promotion and this has created unnecessary backlogs.”
The doctors said the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, makes it imperative for health care frontline workers to be given priority by the government considering that quite a number of them are being infected on daily basis.