Resident doctors call-off 10-week strike in Rivers

7 years ago

Resident doctors call-off 10-week strike in Rivers

Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital has suspended its two months old strike.

The doctors had gone on strike on the 3rd of August, citing poor management, non payment of full salary for doctors, incessant cases of robbery, lack of consumables, amongst others.

Public Relations Officer of the group, Chibuzor Mbanasor told newsmen that the agreement to suspend the strike was reached after series of meeting with the hospital’s management and the intervention of the Chairman, Committee on Health Institutions, House of Representatives, Betty Apiafi.

Dr. Mbanasor said they were hopeful that the hospital’s management would keep to the terms of their agreement, adding that they were ready to resume work tomorrow, Friday.

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Aaron Ojule said all issues in contention had been resolved amicably and assured the public of an uninterrupted improved quality health care delivery services in the hospital.

Ojule applauded the Minster of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, his counterpart Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the resident doctors and other medical elders who he said were instrumental to the resolution of the crises.

He said there has been a significant paradigm-shift in the funding and running of public hospitals in Nigeria, adding that public hospitals, including UPTH, now relied heavily on internally generated revenue in order to sustain acceptable level of healthcare service delivery.

According to him, “We by this press briefing inform the general public that the issue in contention have been amicably resolved and normal healthcare delivery service would resume in this hospital from 8: am October 21, 2016. And we came out of these crises stronger than we were.

“Things have been amplified by the current economic recession with associated inflation and fluctuation in the foreign exchange market. These factors have largely increased the cost of inputs in the delivery of healthcare services.

“In consideration of this challenging operating environment, management wishes to inform the general public of a possible marginal increase in the cost of service in the very near future in order to sustain good quality healthcare services.”