Ondo doctors begin strike over seven-month salary arrears

The Association of Resident Doctors at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo State, has commenced a 14-day warning strike over non-payment of seven months salaries to their new members.

Members of the association, who staged a mini protest on the premises of the facility on Tuesday, vowed to ground the activities at the government-owned medical facility, if their demands were not met.

The President of the UNIMEDTH ARD, Dr. John Matthew, who spoke with journalists during the protest, lamented that their members were yet to be paid their entitlements .

He said “We demand full payment of the arrears of salaries owed to our members and payment of February 2024 palliative to our House Officers.

“The management should pay the February hazard allowance to our members and urgently address the severe clinical manpower shortage in the institution.

“Our members work everyday. There are no staff due to Japa syndrome.”

The state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association had called on the state government to address the issue of shortage of resident doctors in state-owned hospitals.