COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF
EMERGENCY CONGRESS MEETING OF ASSOCIATION OF RESIDENT DOCTORS (ARD), UNIVERSITY
OF NIGERIA TEACHING HOSPITAL (UNTH), WHICH HELD ON FRIDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2015
AT THE DOCTORS COMMON ROOM, UNTH ITUKU OZALLA ENUGU STATE.
The
Association of Resident Doctors, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital held
an emergency Congress on Friday 11 September, 2015 to update members on the
recent events and chat a way forward, in keeping with the Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) signed after a meeting between the UNTH Management and representatives of
ARD UNTH recently.
OBSERVATIONS
1) Members discussed critically, the
MoU reached at the end of the meeting between the UNTH management and
representatives of ARD UNTH and observed as follows:
i)
That the
current stand of UNTH management that they do not have resources to pay skipping
is the fourth stand they are taking on the issue and this does not represent
uprightness.
ii)
That
members of ARD UNTH who went to see the DDF UNTH were denied access to the
warrant of pay of UNTH which should have shown details of how personnel cost of
UNTH has been utilized so far, rather they were restricted to the 2015
personnel budget proposal and summaries of GIFMIS payments. This clearly does
not satisfy our demands that account books be opened to ascertain the claim by
management.
iii)
That
despite a letter written and submitted on 25th August, 2015, a day
after the meeting with CMD, concerning the salary of house officers and other
arrears as advised, salaries were paid over 2weeks later without any form of implementation.
iv)
That
despite the heartbreaking delay in paying the 2014 teaching allowance arrears
to registrars, advancement arrears to deserving members with some lasting as
long 3years, 2 months relativity arrears to our numerous deserving
members and other arrears owed ARD UNTH, UNTH management has instead of
immediately paying off these arrears to assuage members, resorted to making their
rather routine promises. Members recalled that the CMD made similar promises
last year with well-respected medical elders in UNTH as witnesses but reneged
on this promise, little wonder the medical elders have refused to mediate on
his behalf during this present impasse.
v)
That
nothing significant has been done to improve the services offered by UNTH which
is supposed to be one of the apex health institutions in Nigeria. The moribund
state of facilities in the hospital including but not limited to Radiotherapy machines,
CT scan and MRI machines; lack of necessary drugs and other hospital
consumables in the hospital pharmacies; lack of laboratory request forms, prescription
sheets and file tags and the current dilapidated state of general wards and
consulting clinics have received very little or no attention. The implication
is that patients will continue suffering and risking death in travelling to
town, sometimes as far as Ibadan to access these services which UNTH ordinarily
has the capacity to offer say for lack of commitment.
2)
Members
also noted that the disregard of the UNTH management for the rule of law and
ethical civil service practices has lost further boundary by their recent ill
guided action. Members of ARD UNTH who have been promoted for several months
now having met all the requirements for such promotions, were recently demoted
in pay/salary package WITHOUT any prior notice or understanding reached with
those concerned.
3)
Members
also noted that 3 months deductions made from their salaries for ARD dues
and other rather recent deductions made from members’ salaries for ARD UNTH
have not been paid into ARD account. Most disheartening is that as far back as
December capitation is yet to be paid into ARD account as at the date of the
Congress.
4)
That our
colleagues in Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, National Orthopaedic
Hospital Enugu and Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka have since restored services
in the various Hospitals because their hospital managements have either
commenced implementation of skipping or have made strong commitment towards
paying such with the next salary. Members also noted that these colleagues of
ours are not being owed 2014 teaching allowance arrears and other heartbreaking
arrears being owed Resident Doctors and medical officers in UNTH.
RESOLUTIONS
After an exhaustive and careful debate, members
unanimously resolved as follows:
1)
That the
10 week old strike of ARD UNTH will continue indefinitely until the UNTH
management makes adequate commitment towards meeting all our legitimate demands
because so far, the management has done nothing different from the state of
things before the strike commenced.
2)
That the
UNTH management is advised in the best interest of the numerous patients of
UNTH to liaise with their colleagues in Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife,
Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, National Hospital Abuja,
Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Federal Medical Centre Keffi,
Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba, Federal Medical Centre Owo,
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital Bauchi and the many other Federal
Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria where medical doctors are paid their appropriate
salaries and hence industrial harmony exist, to ascertain how they achieved
this and quickly implement it in UNTH.
3)
That the
payment of the disheartening Teaching Allowance Arrears, advancement arrears, 2
months relativity arrears, all outstanding update and exam refunds and
capitations due to ARD UNTH is sacrosanct and must be cleared to bring our
members at par with their colleagues in other centres.
4)
That the
President, the EXCOs and all volunteering members are mandated to do all within
the ambit of the law to expose the injustices being meted out on our members to
the whole world and cause the UNTH management to do the needful.
5)
That we
still demand for the forensic auditing of UNTH personnel records in conjunction
with NMA Enugu State and MDCAN UNTH as agreed in a meeting between the NMA and
Committee of CMDs/MDs several months ago. This of course will include the
critical review of UNTH warrant of pay and nominal roll to ascertain how UNTH
personnel cost has been utilized in the past four years at least.
6)
That we
demand that services offered by UNTH be improved and measures put in place to
sustain and add value to the improvements, this will also include putting an
end to the unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks patients experience in UNTH.
7)
That the
CMD of UNTH is advised to desist from threatening and intimidating Doctors in
UNTH who are on strike in demand for their legitimate rights. Members advised
him to channel the threats and display of powers into meeting all our
legitimate demands so as to restore services in UNTH which he serves as the
leader.
8)
That we
express our full commitment and support for the 'Change' agenda of President
Muhammadu Buhari which has already started yielding enormous and palpable
fruits to the ordinary Nigerians. We however appeal to the President to cause
the UNTH management to immediately put an end to this impasse by shifting
grounds in favour of our demands which are not only legitimate but
attainable.
9)
That we
once more appeal to Nigerians whom our strike has subjected to untoward
hardship to please continue bearing with us as unfortunately the UNTH
management pushed us into this last option of going on strike. Negotiations on
all our demands started over a year ago, but the UNTH management has either
reneged or not given adequate attention to/commitment towards resolving these
issues thereby pushing us into this very avoidable strike action. We appeal to
Nigerians to prevail on the UNTH management through any means possible to
attend to our demands and have us return back to work within the shortest
possible time.
Signed:
President General Secretary
Dr Chukwuma C. Oraegbunam
Public relations Officer
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