By Aruoriwo Ivovi
The Association of Resident Doctors have stressed the need for both the Federal and the State Governments to engage more qualified medical doctors and other health personnel in order to bridge the deficiency occasioned by what they called a “nationwide brain drain”
President of the Association of Resident Doctors, Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara Dr. Toritseju Ereku made the appeal when he led other executive members of the Association on a courtesy visit on the Head of Service on Wednesday in Asaba, the State Capital.
The Doctors who decried the high rate of medical doctors fleeing the country to seek better opportunities abroad, however acknowledged the sensibility of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the wellbeing of workers in the State.
Dr. Toritseju commended the efforts of the Governor towards improving the welfare of workers, even as he expressed optimism that their requests and desires including a call on the state government to rescind it’s decision of No-work-no-pay-policy and the consequent withheld September 2021 salaries of House Officers.
The Resident Doctors who explained to the HOS that the House Officers’ were been owed three months salaries and a withheld September, 2021 salary for the Officers, called for the release of said salaries on compassionate ground as the FG has done same on the issue.
He appealed for the intervention of the Governor through the Head of Service in the payment of the three months salaries of the medical and dental House Officers, who are currently serving a three (3) months extension of postings without pay.
“medical and dental house officers are members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) and so were called upon to participate in the last industrial action in August 2021, together with their seniors.
“While the events surrounding that action are most regrettable, it is noteworthy that DELSUTH is the only institution in Nigeria where house officers were given a three months extension without salaries.
“This punitive action has brought undue hardship on these vulnerable cadre of doctors” said Dr. Toju.
He explained that the House Officers’ cadre formed a vital part of service delivery in any institution approved for their training, saying that they were usually the first contact with patients under supervision of the Medical Consultants.
“By the conditions of service and nature of their training, they reside fully in the hospital environment and are thus present round the clock to carry out duties delegated in patient care.
“…unfortunately this cadre of doctors are currently overworked and understaffed in DELSUTH, accounting for the recurrent migration of House Officers away from DELSUTH to other hospitals within and outside the state.” Dr. Toritseju said.
Speaking further, the President of the Association of Resident Doctors DELSUTH maintained that they considered themselves as partners in the provision of health for all Deltans and promised to continue to contribute their quota to the development and growth of Delta State.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Civil Service Matters, Sir Emmanuel Okafor who was joined by the Functioning Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Mr. patrick Ojeblenu while receiving the Doctors on behalf of the Head of Service, thanked them for the visit, even as they assured the visiting doctors that their demands would be addressed, provided that they were properly articulated and directed to the appropriate quarters for onward actions.
