Rita Odafe
Resident Doctors in Ondo State Initiate Indefinite Strike
Members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH) in Ondo State have launched an indefinite strike due to unpaid salaries and poor working conditions.
On Monday, the doctors staged a peaceful protest at the UNIMEDTH facility in Ondo town to highlight their issues.
Key concerns include correcting salary discrepancies and applying the new minimum wage scale. Additionally, they demand the payment of owed hazard allowances, settling arrears for ARD members, providing proper housing for resident doctors, and hiring more medical staff to improve department operations.
Olaogbe Kehinde, the ARD President in the state, announced the strike on Tuesday, emphasizing that the doctors could no longer bear the burden of unpaid dues and other benefits.
Olaogbe noted that many doctors have resigned or departed unexpectedly due to unfavorable working conditions.
He mentioned that several urgent letters had been sent to hospital management for action, but no measures were taken.
In response, Dr. Gbala Michael, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, told Daily Trust that authorities had asked the doctors to engage in further discussions.
Dr. Gbala acknowledged some of the demands made by the striking doctors and indicated that the state government would arrange a meeting to tackle their issues.
