Abuja Doctors Give Wike Two Weeks To Meet Demands Or Face Hospital Shutdown

The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA), has warned FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, that its members would embark on the ‘deadliest shutdown’ of hospitals in 14 days if outstanding demands are not met.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, President of the Association, Dr George Ebong, while lauding the minister for his “infrastructural development”, stressed that there is an urgent need for him to also focus on the well-being of doctors who are on the verge of extinction due to the economic hardship.

He urged Wike to concentrate on human development the same way he is doing in the infrastructural sector.

He noted that the FCT Minister has 14 days to act on their demands to avert what he described as the deadliest shutdown of hospitals in the nation’s capital.

He said: “Firstly, we have to appreciate the minister for his infrastructural development in the FCT since his emergence. We want him to know that Doctors is an abandoned project. While he fixes the infrastructural abandoned project, we are the human abandoned projects. We believe the minister can deal with the challenge.

“We want the minister to clear six months of salary arrears owed to our members employed in 2023.

“The minister should with urgency clear the payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund of 2024.

“Also, we want the minister to review the bonding policy to two years instead of 6 years.

“Other demands are we want the minister to enforce the implementation of skipping and issuance of skipping letters to our members employed in 2023, immediate payment of accoutrements allowance for 2024, payment of outgoing 13 months hazard allowance arrears, and the FCTA management should fast-track conversion of ARD FCTA Post 2 members to consultants and expedite the process of employment of health care workers to buffer the manpower shortage in the Nation’s capital hospitals.

“This injustice is alien to FCT; if this is allowed to continue, the nation’s health sector will collapse. We want the minister to solve the problems so doctors can practice to the best of their ability.

“We earlier gave a 21-day ultimatum during our Annual General Meeting, leaving 14 days. We don’t want the deadliest shutdown that may lead to loss of lives; it is important that the minister listen and act on demand without delays.”