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Resident Doctors' Strike Over Pay Cut Cripples Medical Services In Yenagoa

A strike by medical practitioners who belong to the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has significantly impeded medical services at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. A source revealed that junior medical officers in the services of the FMC commenced a three-day warning strike on Monday, sending many critically ill people to private clinics. “Many patients who usually attended the center have been compelled to seek treatment in other places,” said the source.

A strike by medical practitioners who belong to the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has significantly impeded medical services at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. A source revealed that junior medical officers in the services of the FMC commenced a three-day warning strike on Monday, sending many critically ill people to private clinics. “Many patients who usually attended the center have been compelled to seek treatment in other places,” said the source.

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SaharaReporters gathered that the strike by the FMC’s resident doctors was triggered by a decision by the management to slash doctors’ pay without any explanation. “We were forced to take the bull by the horn by embarking on the strike action,” one of the striking doctors, who asked not to be identified, said.

He added that the “severe pay cuts” affected youth corps doctors and resident doctors the most. According to the source, youth corps doctors who earned N120,000 naira per month were now paid N28,000. He disclosed that other categories of workers in the hospital were also affected by the unexplained pay cut policy.

A youth corps physiotherapist said his N60,000 pay was cut to N20,000.

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SaharaReporters learnt that labor leaders representing various other groups in the hospital were warming up to commence their own strikes.

A visit to the hospital earlier today showed that hundreds of patients waited to be attended by various medical consultants who are not part of the strike.

Two nurses told our correspondent that the senior doctors were working and rendering services to the patients both in the wards and out-patient departments. But they regretted that the striking NARD members were more in number and usually attended to many more patients.

One nurse stated that the withdrawal of services by the resident doctors had significantly prolonged the waiting time for patients. One patient said that she had waited for over four hours and was yet to be seen by a doctor.

Another parent who brought her sick baby to the medical facility was seen leaving in frustration. She said she would seek medical care for her baby in a private hospital. Many other patients, distraught at the snail speed of services, were also seen  leaving the waiting halls.

Dr. Ugoeze Asinobi, Bayelsa chapter chairman of the National Association of Resident Doctors, said that the doctors embarked on the strike to protest “inappropriate deductions” from the salaries of members. He disclosed that the deductions affected mostly resident doctors and youth corps members. He also said his union’s action was a three-day warning strike to compel the authorities at the Federal Ministry of Health to suspend the deductions.

He said that the strike followed the due procedure spelt out in the labor laws as the mandatory notices were served to the relevant authorities.

Efforts to get a reaction from the medical director of the hospital were rebuffed as he was said to be “unavailable” to comment on the strike.

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