Members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospitals (UNIMEDTH) in Ondo State have begun an indefinite strike action over the non-payment of their salaries and other benefits.  

Peoples Gazette learned that the strike action started on Monday shortly after the resident doctors staged a peaceful protest at the UNIMEDTH facility to press for their demands.  

The doctors, who carried placards with various inscriptions, were also demanding better working conditions at the state government-owned hospital.  

Citing various demands, including the correction of irregularities and discrepancies in salary payments and the implementation of the new minimum wage scale, the aggrieved doctors also requested the provision of conducive accommodation for them within the hospital premises.  

Other demands include the payment of all hazard allowance arrears and the employment of more doctors to increase manpower across the affected departments.  

Olaogbe Kehinde, president of ARD in the state, in a statement on Tuesday, explained that the strike action became necessary after the doctors had been overstretched and could no longer work due to the non-payment of their arrears.  

Mr Olaogbe noted that many doctors in the state had resigned from their jobs while others left without prior notification due to poor conditions of service.  

He also explained that a series of “save our souls” letters had been written to the management for review, but all efforts proved abortive.  

“The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) UNIMEDTH, Ondo State, wishes to inform the public that, after extensive deliberations among members of congress and engagements with the relevant authorities, we have been left with no choice but to embark on an indefinite strike,” Mr Olaogbe announced in a copy of the statement obtained by The Gazette.  

He said that the decision to embark on the strike, though difficult, was necessary due to the persistent neglect of the resident doctors’ welfare and the failure to address critical issues affecting them, infrastructure, and the delivery of quality healthcare services.  

“The ARD remains committed to providing quality healthcare to all citizens. However, we cannot continue to operate under conditions that undermine our well-being and compromise patient care.  

“We urge the government to expedite the payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances and improve working conditions in the three centres across the state, ensuring prompt implementation of all demands stated in this release.”  

In a swift reaction, the chief medical director (CMD) of the hospital, Gbala Micheal, said that the authorities had pleaded with the striking doctors to allow more room for dialogue.  

While acknowledging some of the doctors’ demands, Mr Gbala said the state government would call the striking doctors to a meeting and address their agitations.  

The Gazette reports that the resident doctors’ strike comes almost nine months after they threatened to embark on strike over similar issues.