About Four hundred members of the Association of Resident Doctors, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) chapter, have commenced an indefinite strike over their working conditions.
President of the association, Dr Ukweh Ikechukwu, said the total strike was sequel to a 21-day ultimatum which ended on Wednesday, july 1st,2015.
Ikechukwu who spoke at an emergency General meeting organized by the Association of Resident Doctors at the hospital in Calabar, said that the association was compelled to embark on strike after several appeals to management of the institution yielded no positive response.
“The purpose of the strike is not to punish the patients, but to press home some legitimate demands. The strike is total and there will be no skeletal services untill our demands are met.
“We as an association, need to send out a message because we are tired of giving haphazard services to the public. Some individuals are running this institution any how they like; they would not do this were it to be their private practices.
He said the hospital has bent backwards severally to ensure that continue service delivery was given,sayining when the person at the helm of affairs thinks that they are wasting our time,
“We are demanding for good working conditions which include making the environment conducive, the implementation of the sponsorship arrears from 2012,upgrading and automatic stepping of our training and patient care as well as skipping for doctors,” he said.
Speaking further during an interview, Dr Ikechukwu said the hospital has been operating in a filthy and unsecured environment,
”One of our female resident doctors was raped recently while armed robbers terrorise the hospital at night and management shown little or no concerns about this.
“We can no longer operating under such an environment until the management look into the matter.”
The eleven point resolutions signed by the president,Dr Ukweh Ikechukwu and Secretary General, Dr Uket Hellen read in part:
That the Management should take urgent steps to provide consumables,stock the pharmacy,improve laboratory services and radiology department for patient care and quality training for her residents.
That management should as a matter of urgency pay off completely all sponsorship arrears owed residents since 2012,this is what is obtainable in all other tertiary hospitals.
That management should pay members the two months relativity arrears and ensure that all resident doctors are stepped up automatically
It implore management to commenced the payment of skipping salaries to doctors .
Effort to speak with the Hospital Chief Medical Director, Dr Thomas Agan was unsuccessful as he was said to have traveled to Abuja for an official engagement while all calls and text message sent to Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) was not replied.
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