by Nurat Uthman
The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has threatened to shut down medical services in the nation’s capital if their six-month unpaid salaries are not settled.
Consequently, the doctors issued a 14-day ultimatum to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to meet their demands.
The President, Dr George Ebong, who issued the ultimatum at a press conference held at Wuse District Hospital, Abuja, on Monday, also lamented the non-payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund and other unmet demands.
While lauding the FCT minister for his infrastructural development in Abuja, Ebong stressed that there was an urgent need to focus on the well-being of doctors on the verge of extinction due to economic hardship.
According to him, the minister should concentrate on human development as he is doing in the infrastructural sector.
He noted that the FCT Minister has 14 days to act on their demands to avert what he described as the deadliest shutdown of hospitals in the nation’s capital.
He said: “First we have to appreciate the minister for his infrastructural development in the FCT since his emergence.
“We want him to know that Doctors are abandoned projects. While he fixes the infrastructural abandoned projects, we are the human abandoned projects. We believe the minister can deal with the challenge.
“We want the minister to clear six months of salary arrears owed to our members employed in 2023.
“The minister should with urgency clear the payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund of 2024.
“Also, we want the minister to review the bonding policy to two years instead of six years.
Ebong said other demands include the implementation of skipping and issuance of skipping letters to its members employed in 2023, immediate payment of accouterments allowance for 2024, and payment of outgoing 13 months hazard allowance arrears.
He also urged the FCTA management to fast-track the conversion of ARD FCTA Post 2 members to consultants and expedite the process of employment of healthcare workers to buffer the manpower shortage in the Nation’s capital hospitals.
“This injustice is alien to FCT; if this is allowed to continue, the nation’s health sector will collapse. We want the minister to solve the problems so doctors can practice to the best of their ability.
“We earlier gave a 21-day ultimatum last week during our Annual General Meeting. We don’t want the deadliest shutdown that may lead to loss of lives; it is important that the minister listen and act on demand without delays.”
