UITH resident doctors commence strike to protest salary deductions

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Chapter, has commenced a three-day warning strike  to protest against deductions in their salaries.

Dr Ige Alexander, the Chairman of the association in the  hospital,  told newsmen on Friday in Ilorin that only a fraction of their salaries had been paid since  2014.

Alexander, who said that ARD members in other teaching hospitals in  the country  were being paid full salaries,  alleged that  they  were being “short-changed.’’

He said UITH management told  resident doctors  that it had to employ additional house officers for  the hospital while allocation was inadequate.

“It is only in this teaching hospital we are seeing this; in  others  across the country, they  are paying full salaries,” he said.

The chairman said the deductions in salaries were becoming unbearable, noting that the development was affecting their livelihood and families.

But Prof. Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, the Chief Medical Director of  UITH, said  such deductions were not peculiar to the teaching hospital alone.

According to him, the ARD must ensure that the  lives of   patients remain  the priority.

Olatinwo, who  expressed sympathy with the doctors, said  government   was doing all it could to rectify the problem.

He also argued that there were no deductions as it was government that was owing, adding that it would also  pay the debts soon.

The chief medical director further explained  that house officers were critically needed in the UITH,  saying this informed  the recruitment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the doctors   sang solidarity songs and carried placards with inscriptions such as “ARD says no to incomplete salaries”, “#Bring back our money” and “Nothing but full salaries.”  (NAN)