Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Resident Doctors Embark On Indefinite Strike
Patients who have any hope to seek medical assistance at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) may have to cancel plans and look to other healthcare facilities to either continue or start their treatment as the resident doctors at LUTH have resumed an indefinite strike starting on Friday last week.
The Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, on Friday embarked on the indefinite strike over nonpayment of outstanding salaries and allowances. The association is also demanding for the payment of outstanding arrears owed house officers, resident doctors, and residency training fees.
Other issues they are seeking interventions include the lack of resident doctors and house officers across all units and better lighting in the dark portions within the hospital environment.
The resident doctors and house officers had staged a peaceful protest on May 22 followed with a two-day warning strike on the same issues.
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According to Dr. Kayode Makinde, President, LUTH ARD, the hospital management had not called leaders of ARD for another meeting after the warning strike. Makinde said ARD executives had no option than to embark on the indefinite strike, adding that members of the association would not resume work until all their demands were met.
He said, 65 house officers were being owed between one and five months salaries.
“With the present numbers of house officers (177), it means one out of three house officers is currently being owed salaries. House officers are not enrolled on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System platform so what is the reason for the perennial delay in payment of their salaries?
House officers are bonafide members of the association of resident doctors LUTH.
As at today, there are 255 resident doctors in LUTH; between 2014 and 2015, there were 547 resident doctors in LUTH.
So, 86 resident doctors are being owed one to three months salaries on the IPPIS platform. Some have their pension funds credited with deductions from both employers and employees,”
he said.