Following the failure of Federal Government to meet the 13-point demand of doctors under the aegis of the National Association of Resident Doctors, Gombe State ARD branch, on Thursday, joined the indefinite industrial action called by it national body.He added that as a teaching hospital, research and clinical services which are pivotal to the institution had been affected by the strike.
“This is a nationwide strike based on 13-point demands that they [NARD] submitted to the Federal Government. As far as the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe is concerned, we have the bulk numbers of doctors in the hospital.
“They are the footsoldiers that drive most of the activities going on in the hospital; so, this strike will affect the normal day-to-day activities of the hospital.
“As a teaching hospital, our mandate involves training, clinical services and research. Now that resident doctors are on strike, the training issue has already been affected.
“As for clinical services, we are able to maintain only the emergency services, and our able consultants in the hospital in various fields have been mandated to take care of emergency services.
“We are trying as much as possible within the limited resources of the hospital to take care of emergency services and we are wishing, praying the issues will be addressed as soon as possible to enable us to come back to our normal day-to-day activities.
“I believe that government has already started to engage them and we hope it would be resolved,” Yusuf added.
Also, branch chairman of ARD, Daniel Apollos, said the association had totally complied with the national body’s directives.
He said it was not true that doctors always look for reasons to embark on strike, stressing that “there is always a genuine reason for strike.”
“Doctors don’t go on strike without a reason and this is the reason we want to put an end to incessant strike by asking government to do the needful.
“We are on strike. It is so unfortunate on the patients’ part that whenever doctors go on strike, they suffer; but that is the only option available. We want government to do the needful; it is unacceptable that doctors will work for three months without pay, it is unacceptable that we are exposed to dangers, hazards and then our hazard allowance is nothing to take home,” Dr. Apollos said.
Our correspondent observed that some patients who came without knowing that a strike was ongoing were caught unprepared.
“I came with the mindset of seeing the doctor and rushing back to work, but it is taking like forever because of the strike,” Yakubu Bawa, a disappointed patient, said.
source: Punch
