Health workers of Ondo FMC embark on two-week strike

Members of the Ondo State Chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, have embarked on a strike action to last for two weeks.

The doctors shut down services, on Thursday, after the association’s general meeting in Owo, with a communique to that effect.

The strike action was declared on Thursday by Dr. Gideon Olaopa, the President of the Association after a general meeting which came with the communiqué announcing that the decision takes immediate effect.

Dr, Olaopa noted that the warning strike became the last resort after they had been operating relentlessly “under dire stressful conditions”, adding, that there were only 80 resident doctors and health officers available at the medical centre.

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According to Olaopa, the strike was what they can use to demand change because no recruitment had taken place in the hospital since 2018, whereas the hospital used to have about 300 doctors and house officers he claimed.

He lamented that these experts eventually gave up on the work.

Olufunsho Ijanusi, spokesperson of the Medical Centre confirmed the development to Ripples Nigeria, while assuring that management of the hospital would control the situation because the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Liasu Adeagbo, had just returned from Abuja where he had a meeting with the leadership of the ARD, appealing to them to exercise patience.

He further added that there were bureaucratic loopholes that were seriously affecting getting more staff to work with hospitals, but hinted that the management would soon find a way out of the problems.

By Mohammed Taoheed…

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