The Federal Medical Centre in Owo’s Association of Resident Doctors members has started a two-week warning strike citing a staffing shortage. After the general meeting of the association, the doctors allegedly shut down hospital operations. Dr. Olaopa Gideon, the president of the ARD Owo FMC, stated that the strike action was unavoidable because of the workers’ “very stressful working conditions.”
He said that the hospital only employed 80 resident doctors and health officers at the time and that no new hires had been made there since 2018. Now, one person is doing the work of five people.
Since 2018, there hasn’t been any job at FMC Owo. The issue can be resolved by hiring 200 more doctors and health officials. Additionally, they don’t compensate them for their extra effort. Every day, answer the call to duty. The displeased physicians also brought up the problem of their hospital annex coworkers’ lack of suitable and safe housing in a communiqué published after the conference.
They encouraged the management and all pertinent departments of the Federal Government to ensure the employment of the resident doctors and House Officers in the hospital to ease the serious manpower shortage and onerous workload being faced by our members in the hospital
The Association requested that the recruitment of resident doctors and House Officers be started in earnest as it can no longer stand the burnout that its members are going through. They also demanded that the management should provide a befitting accommodation fortified with necessary amenities for those currently being posted to Akure Annex. The association executives would certify the standard of the accommodations before acceptance.
