LAUTECH striking doctors demand 12-month salary arrears

Striking doctors of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have appealed to the State Government to pay them their 12 months salary.
The made the call in a statement by the branch President and General Secretary of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Drs Sebastine Oiwoh and Ayobami Alabi, in Ibadan on Saturday.
The doctors had 75 days ago embarked on industrial action over their unpaid salaries and poor working condition.
The ARD said that their members had indefinite withdrawal of services, saying the management, board and the state government were fully aware of the industrial crisis.
It said that their members were being paid twenty-eight per cent salary since January 2016 with twelve months salary being owed.
“Our action is as a result of poor working conditions, persistent payment of percentage salary and poor funding of residency training.
“Also among the problem is dearth of manpower, incomplete infrastructural development and neglect of the hospital to mention a few,” the statement read in part.
The ARD said that government had embraced repeated obviation to the solution of the problem through relentless media propaganda of leakages, intended audit and restructuring in the last 14 months.
According to the ARD, “In the last 14 months government has embarked on propaganda of intended audit and restructuring with no visible result but reckless abandon of the lives of our members to unlimited hardships.”
It said that their members have never and would never support any act to pilfer, launder or to decimate the finances and resources of the hospital through illegal acts of corruption.
The ARD said the hospital was replete with evidence of their relentless resolve to transparency, equity and due diligence.
“We feel that for personal reasons the State Commissioner for Health, who is the acting board chairman, is playing politics with the welfare of our members.
“And the lives of the citizens of Oyo state by his repeated excuses with no result after a year.
“What needs to be done can be done immediately without the litany of excuses aimed at scoring personal points,” it said.
It said that the same excuse given in March 2016 which saw them suspended their initial action and same on Aug. 29 during a visit of their national president with no visible solution.
The ARD said the board chairman is meant to oversee and approve expenditure in the hospital, likewise ensure smooth running of the hospital by the Chief Medical Director.
It said that the board and management should be held responsible for the claims of leakages.
“We encourage the Oyo State Government and Commissioner for Health to make haste at finding solutions to the problems.
“We will also advise that the litany of excuses without solution for over a year should stop in the interest of the people whose lives are jeopardised through these dilly-dallying,” it said.
The doctors said they would continue to call on all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, politicians and religious leaders, to prevail on the government to find solutions to the problems.
It said that they would continue to do that in the interest of all, particularly at this time when epidemics was prevalent.