NARD Threatens Nationwide Strike Over Poor Treatment

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

At a media parley held at the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) secretariat, Ibadan, the association, led by its President, Dan-Jumbo Prince‎ listed the affected states as Oyo, Osun, Lagos, Abia, Imo and Benue, where their various teaching hospitals were owing NARD members months of salaries and allowances.

The 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 infrastructure, 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.

Though, the mandate of the hospital was to deliver affordable, accessible health care to the esteemed citizens of Ogbomoso and its environs, the association 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.

While accusing Governor Abiola Ajimobi of insensitivity, ‎the association alleged that various efforts to dialogue with the government on the plight of its members were unsuccessful.

NARD posited that the goal of teaching hospitals to render qualitative medical services, training and research was being defeated due to neglect from the Oyo State Government, which inadvertently has also affected residency training in the 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.