The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja (FTHL),on Friday, protested the alleged shortage of manpower and work overload at the hospital.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ARD members, who marched round the hospital premises, decried the shortage of manpower and overwork load on their members.
The doctors displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “We want to work, not to work and die,” “Don’t kill us, stop using no work no pay to threaten us,” and “Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja doctors are dying of help", among others.
The Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Kogi Chapter, Dr Olushola Baoku, who joined the protest, said the doctors were completely overworked without commensurate wages.
“The doctors are angry and sad and of course in extension, NMA is sad because of the event that is actually taking place in Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja.
“Except that it is not a permanent employment until the federal government gives the approval to convert them as a permanent staff.
“So, this is the interim measure that has been taken by the hospital management to bridge the manpower shortage gaps.
“There are two platforms upon which staff are recruited in the Federal Government personnel management which are IPPIS and Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
“The IPPIS is a platform for regular staff that were employed on permanent basis and are pensionable while the GIFMIS is a platform for those temporary or non regular staff,” he said.
He stressed that the local staff on GIFIMS platform would also have the opportunity to be converted to permanent staff whenever the federal government gave the approval for recruitment.
“So, it is not casualisation of staff as alleged by the ARD, but just an interim measure to fill the manpower shortage gaps which is the only option we have to keep the services going,” he said.
On the issue of call meal, Ojochide said the provision of call meal was an incentive by the management of FTHL to encourage staff who on call, saying, “it is the prerogative of the hospital management and not the right of staff”.
He noted that the call meal was suspended by the hospital because of the sudden change of vendors by the ARD without following due process.
He insisted that the management was responsible for the payment for call meal and the ARD should have communicated to the management before disengaging the vendor which was not their prerogative.
“So, the hospital management did not stop their call meal, but the ARD disengaged the vendor without the approval of the hospital management”.
Ojochide, therefore reaffirmed the commitment of the hospital management to continue to deliver quality healthcare services to the people of the state and Nigeria at large.
NAN reports that the ARD had embarked on the protest since on Thursday and vowed to continue the protest on daily basis until their demands were met.
There were presence of heavy security personnel at the hospital premises which the management said was to ensure the safety of lives and property, and to prevent the break down of law and order. (NAN)