Resident doctors in Abuja have given the Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike two weeks to meet their demands, threatening to shut down hospitals if their requests are not granted.
In a statement on Monday, the President of the FCTA Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) George Ebong commended Wike for his infrastructure strides in Abuja but described the doctors as “abandoned projects. While he fixes the infrastructural abandoned project, we are the human abandoned projects”.
Ebong said the “injustice” to doctors “is alien to FCT” and warned that “if this is allowed to continue, the nation’s health sector will collapse”.
“We want the minister to solve the problems so doctors can practice to the best of their ability. We earlier gave a 21-day ultimatum last week during our Annual General Meeting, leaving 14 days,” the ARD president said.
“We don’t want the deadliest shutdown that may lead to loss of lives; it is important that the minister listen and act on demand without delays.”
He listed the demands as including the need for the minister to clear six months of salary arrears owed to ARD members employed in 2023.
“The minister should with urgency clear the payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund of 2024,” he said. “Also, we want the minister to review the bonding policy to two years instead of six years.”
The ARD president said, “Other demands are we want the minister to enforce the implementation of skipping and issuance of skipping letters to our members employed in 2023, immediate payment of accouterments allowance for 2024, payment of outgoing 13 months hazard allowance arrears, and the FCTA management should fast-track conversion of ARD FCTA post two members to consultants and expedite the process of employment of health care workers to buffer the manpower shortage in the nation’s capital hospitals.”
He expressed optimism that “the minister can deal with the challenge”.