AKURE/Nigeria: Activities resumed partially at the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Okitipupa on Thursday flowing the suspension of the 11-weeks-old industrial action by doctors in in the state.
Visit to the hospital showed that few doctors were providing skeletal services while some nurses were seen conducting routine ward rounds.
The state’s chapters of NMA and the National Association of Residents Doctors (NARD) suspended their 11-weeks-old strike on Wednesday following the intervention of the state’s House of Assembly.
A patient who was in the hospital said that he was in the hospital because of the announcement of the suspension of the strike.
“I came here today when I heard the strike has been suspended, but I have yet to be attended to by any doctor.
Dr Ibukun Olatomide, one of the doctors told said that the doctors resumed at their duty posts since the suspension of the strike on Wednesday.
He said partial activities were witnessed because most patients had been taken to other hospitals because of the strike.
“Most of the doctors are on ground since the suspension of the strike; the partial activities noticed are still the remains of the strike as most patients have been taken to other hospitals because of the strike.
Another doctorr said that the state government owed doctors six to seven months salaries and that it was supposed to pay at least two-months of the backlog immediately the strike was suspended.
He said it shouldn’t be a surprise if most of the doctors did not resume work until government paid part of the salary arrears.
`We are suffering and are appealing to the government to fulfil its own part of the bargain,’’ he said.
The doctor expressed the hope that government would do the needful by addressing demands as contained in the letter sent to it.
Efforts made to speak with the Chief Medical Director of the hospital did not yield result.
