JUTH doctors plan protest march ahead of strike

Members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Plateau State have planned to march in protest tomorrow ahead of a planned strike which date is yet to be fixed, Daily Trust learnt.  The doctors planned to come out in black ward coats to demonstrate the […]

Members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Plateau State have planned to march in protest tomorrow ahead of a planned strike which date is yet to be fixed, Daily Trust learnt.

 The doctors planned to come out in black ward coats to demonstrate the height of their anger with the management of the hospital over sundry demands including JUTH’s non-implementation of SKIPPING, a grade level welfare packaged approved by the federal government for implementation in 2014, as well as the sacking of 52 members in 2015 without due process to exiting the residency.

JUTH is on record as the only federal health facility, after Bida to drag on the implementation of SKIPPING, and has been consistent in sacking resident doctors on a yearly basis ahead of the completion of their residency.

“By tomorrow, our members in JUTH will be forming a procession to lead a walk in compliance with the instruction by the national leadership on the pending NARD strike,” Dr. Paul Agbo, the JUTH NARD president told Daily Trust in Jos.

 “The walk will happen on Friday and Monday, when we will also be holding a congress. We are going to all come out in black ward coats to carry out the walk,” he said.

The planned nationwide strike was put on hold earlier in the week, stretching the ultimatum to a yet to be decided date.

The national president, Dr. John Onyebueze had earlier said responses from the federal government for negotiations compelled the body to stretch the ultimatum to be finally decided upon between January 12 and 15 at a congress.

JUTH NARD said the branch is ready for total compliance with the directives by the national body.

However, Dr. Agbo appealed to critical stakeholders in the health sector to prevail on the management of JUTH and other facilities to comply with agreements and instructions from documents as well as court decisions to implement the demands.