Patients groan as residents doctors begin indefinite strike in Ekiti

Patients in Ekiti State have been left stranded following the indefinite strike action embarked upon on Wednesday by the Association of Residents Doctors at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) Ado-Ekiti.

When Nigerian Tribune visited the tertiary hospital on Thursday, many patients were seeing dejected and confused following their inability to find doctors that would attend to them.

According to a patient, Biola Olaide, he has a scheduled appointment to see his doctor every two days but lamented that the plan had been affected thereby compounding his health status.

“I suppose to be coming here to see the doctors for my illness that I have been battling with for months but what do I do now that they are not around to work. Where do I go from here? I pray the strike ends soon,” he said.

On her part, Mrs Rebecca Benjamin said that the strike action by the doctors has dealt a huge blow to the quality healthcare delivery promised by the state government, saying, “this time around, we have a lot of health challenges. We need qualified and competent doctors to take charge; it is quite unfortunate.”

President of the resident doctors, Dr Olaniyi Olaoye said the industrial action was due to the alleged irregularities in the payment of their salaries, alleged reduction in the monthly subvention to the hospital by state government.

Olaoye alleged that since 2018, resident doctors have been subjected to hardship due to the payment of only their net salary as against the gross, adding the non remittance of various deductions such as cooperative and union dues to appropriate quarters had hindered them from having access to loan and necessary benefits.

Olaoye explained that while the doctors were still trying to endure the pain of amputated salary, the monthly subvention to the hospital was reduced again, “perhaps due to economic situation hence the management was unable to pay May and June 2021 salaries.”

The president affirmed that the association after three congresses took the decision to allow their members stay at home pending the time they would have resources to transport themselves to work.

However, the government in a joint statement by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Oyebanji Filani and his information counterpart, Akin Omole expressed regret over the doctors’ strike, and appealed to them to show more understanding with the government in view of the dwindling financial situation in the state.

They appealed to the striking workers, “to reconsider their position and continue to engage the government on how best to resolve the industrial dispute. They noted that the strike action could be counterproductive considering the nature of their services in the state.

“We remain committed to protecting the health of all indigenes and residents of Ekiti State while ensuring that workers are duly remunerated for their selfless services.”

The statement explained that the administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi since 2018 has invested so much in the health sector including, “massive renovation of both primary and secondary health facilities across the state, adequately equipping them with modern medical equipment and commodities to guarantee a conducive working environment for our health workers across the state.”

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