Doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State began an industrial action on Monday over poor conditions of service.
The industrial action was called by the hospital’s chapter
of the Medical and Dental Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) and announced by its
Chairman, Dr Ayobami Alabi and Secretary, Dr Taiwo Alatishe in a statement.
They stated that the decision was based on a congress
resolution arrived at, at the expiration of an ultimatum earlier issued.
The chapter’s MDCAN declared that it had critically observed
the situation in the hospital and there was no definite assurance that issues
in contention would soon be resolved either partly or wholly.
The association stated that it had made efforts in the past
to safeguard the hospital from total collapse and to reposition it for better
training, research, and services for which it was established.
It declared as unacceptable the continued non-payment of
salaries of its members recently employed.
It also decried the “delay and difficulty in payment of 2016
to 2017 salary arrears by the management.
It added that some of the other issues in contention were
shortage of manpower across the different cadres of doctors, including
consultants, specialists across different fields, resident doctors, specialists
in training and house officers.
“The prescribed ratio of doctors expected to function in a
tertiary hospital is already distorted and highly eroded by this shortfall
undermining quality training and service.
“The persistent inability of hospital management to employ
doctors and other staff hinged on the excuse of paucity of funds, has led to
failure in expanding the scope of training and services,’’ it stated.
It also decried the decadence in infrastructure, equipment
and facilities which it stated was making the hospital to operate below the
optimal standard expected of a teaching hospital.
It listed the poor conditions of service to include lack of
basic facilities like offices for consultants and non-response from management
in spite of years of appeal.
The withdrawal of service “is done to safeguard the hospital
from total collapse and to reposition it for better training, research, and
services for which it was established.
“The board of the hospital failed to respond appropriately
and satisfactorily to all these challenges over the years despite our various
engagements, tolerance and show of understanding.
“This treatment is anti-labour. It is also considered
inhumane with the attending psychological and emotional trauma,’’ it stressed.
It noted that it was becoming impracticable for the
hospital’s management to provide basic amenities for effective service
delivery.
The MDCAN appealed to the public, traditional rulers, critical
stakeholders and the state government to come to the rescue of the teaching
hospital to reposition it for better output.