SAN FRANCISCO, June 22, (THEWILL) – Resident Doctors at Bayelsa government owned Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri, are yet to call off the indefinite strike already suspended by the national body.
THEWILL recalls that the leadership of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) had on Sunday directed its members across the country to return to work as the Federal Government said it has cleared outstanding hazard allowances, amongst others.
However, Dr Olu Inestol, President of NDUTH chapter of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), in an interview on Monday revealed that members of the association were still on strike.
“We cannot resume work yet like our counterparts in Federal Government establishments who are being paid the promised hazard allowances, but the same cannot be said for us at the state level,” he said.
“As we speak, nothing has been done about our own at NDUTH and that is why we cannot return to work, the strike therefore continues.”
NDUTH hosts the 100 bed capacity COVID-19 isolation centre located at the outskirts of Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital.
The rising spread of confirmed cases to 169 from 130 in Bayelsa with less than 200 bed isolation capacity has raised concerns of an impending crisis in the coming days.
However, at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa some Resident Doctors were seen at their duty posts attending to patients’ haven complied with the directive on the nationwide strike suspension.
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Dr Divine Irole, President of ARD in the hospital said on Monday that the doctors have returned to work as directed.
She however said that her members were still to be paid the hazard allowances as announced and were still awaiting its implementation.