From Vivian Israel, Port Harcourt
Resident Doctors at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital again have embarked on indefinite strike. The President of the Association of Resident Doctors of the UPTH, Dr. Dan JUMBO, confirmed this. He said that the decision to embark on the strike followed the failure of the management of the teaching hospital to address issues raised by the doctors.
Dr. Jumbo said that there will be penalty for any member who failed to comply with the strike order. “The hospital management is owing us 20% of our salaries January and February last year and we have not been paid salaries for December last year and January, this year. Our salaries were just paid today but the management went ahead to sack a lot of doctors saying that they do not have enough money to pay. The CMD had agreed that the whole salaries were sent from Abuja 100%. The question now is why he is paying us our salaries over the months in percentage. They have not paid us our update and exams allowance. The CMD has refused to pay. He has been owing us for the past two years.
He said that no amount of intimidation or threat would force them to return to work until all their demands are met. “The CMD, haven got the wind of our strike, said that he is not bothered, that we can go ahead and embark on an indefinite strike or as we deem it fit, that he is not interested. Is this someone that has been given the position to manage the teaching hospital? So we are stretching our strike to an indefinite one until all our demands are met.
“We will not succumb to any blackmail, any intimidation. We are asking for what is ours and what is right. If the CMD cannot manage the hospital, he should step aside for someone else to manage the hospital.
