…..Demand Renovation Of FCT Hospitals To World-Class Standard, Others
Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Resident doctors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the auspices of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD-FCTA), FCT Chapter, has begun a one-week warning strike following the expiration of a notice of strike issued to the FCT Administration to attend to their demands.
The strike notice was contained in a statement signed by ARD-FCTA’s President, Dr George Ebong, with other executive members of the association, announcing the commencement of the industrial action on Monday.
ARD-FCTA, comprising doctors practising in the 14 district and general hospitals in the FCT, including the Department of Public Health under the FCT Administration, said the government has not shown interest in their welfare, hence the decision to embark on the warning strike.
Recall that about a week ago, the doctors issued a one-week strike notice to the FCT Administration over some unsettled issues that border on welfare and working conditions.
The doctors, at their meeting in Abuja last week, expressed disappointment at the continued non-payment of salary arrears, ranging from one to six months, owed to their members employed since 2023, despite several exhaustive engagements with management on the matter.
The doctors noted the little or complete lack of effort towards the recruitment of new staff, in spite of overwhelming evidence of the physical, emotional, and psychological strain on their members caused by severe manpower shortages, a crisis that has already resulted in several stress-related deaths.
The doctors were dismayed at the non-payment of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) up to date, subjecting members to severe financial hardship, as many have had to borrow heavily to register for examinations and mandatory update courses, leaving them burdened with enormous debts.
The doctors also stated the non-payment of arrears arising from the 25/35 per cent upward review of CONMESS, even as the Federal Government has commenced payment to its staff, and also noted the lack of progress in implementing the skipping policy for members employed in 2023, as well as the accumulation of related arrears, which may create even greater challenges in the near future.
They also decried the continued delay in the commencement of the promotion exercise for members who have been due since 2023 to 2025, and expressed dismay at the non-payment of accrued allowances for the year 2025, a meagre sum of N8,000 per month, stressing that such payments should not require repeated agitation before being honoured.
The doctors also observed with dissatisfaction that many newly qualified fellows, some of whom passed their Part II examinations over five years ago, have still not been advanced to the consultant cadre, despite numerous engagements with management on this issue.
They also highlighted the issue of the non-payment of the wage award to members, noting with concern the absence of any communication regarding when it will be addressed, in addition to the non-payment of 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears.
The doctors demanded urgent renovation, equipping, and upgrading of hospitals in the FCT to world-class standards, stressing that the current state of facilities is deplorable and embarrassing, with doctors left to work without the most basic equipment or consumables.