The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Chapter, on Tuesday commenced a seven-day warning strike over allegations of intimidation and lack of basic amenities for workers.
Dr Lanre Olosunde, the President of ARD, UITH Chapter, told newsmen in Ilorin that the industrial action was to press home their lingering demands.
He alleged that these demands has led to verbal assault, harassment, threat and intimidation of their representatives by the hospital management.
The ARD leader listed their demands to include recruitment of more doctors, repair and fixing of basic amenities, provision of security, lighting of interns quarters, accreditation of courses, acute shortage of oxygen supply and radiation monitoring badges.
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He called on the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the UITH to desist from threatening or intimidating representatives and members of the association, adding that this has affected effective service delivery at the hospital and welfare of their members.
“Topmost on the list of issues and of paramount importance is the persistent and worsening shortage of Resident Doctors.
“This has not only resulted in the fatigue and exhaustion of our members but also the work overload and burnouts from this is now posing grave risk stop the practising licenses, health and lives of members of ARD-UITH.
“In the past two weeks, three of our members have had near deaths experience resulting from burn-outs from current work overload. Two of them collapsed while on tedious and prolonged call duties and had to be resucitated back to life,” he said.
Olosunde also alerted that there is shortage in the supply of oxygen, which he said is hampering patient management with the attendant increasing morbidity and mortality among patients requiring oxygen therapy in the hospital.
“Resident doctors on the radiology department are still being repeatedly exposed to radiation in the line of duty without any form of monitoring in the last three years,” he said.
He added that rather than address issues of the members, “the CMD resorted to verbal assault, harassing, threatening and intimidating our representatives and by extension the congress of ARD-UITH”.
Olosunde therefore urged the management to address their grievances, saying the warning strike begins Jan. 21 through Jan. 28.
Reacting to the allegations, the Head of Corporate Affairs of UITH, Mrs Olabisi Ajiboye, said the grievances raised by ARD are national issues.
She howeveer assured that the UITH would look into some of their demands and reach peaceful resolutions.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ARD also staged a peaceful protest match across the UITH premises, carrying placards with inscriptions such as: “UITH is dying”, “Oxygen is life” and “Doctors are worn out”. (NAN)