Resident doctors in Abuja have issued a two-week ultimatum to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to address their demands or risk a shutdown of hospitals in the nation’s capital.
The President of the FCT Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Dr. George Ebong, made this known in a statement on Monday. While commending Wike’s efforts in improving Abuja’s infrastructure, Ebong lamented the poor treatment of healthcare workers, describing doctors as “abandoned projects.”
“While the minister fixes infrastructural abandoned projects, we are the human abandoned projects,” he said.
Ebong described the situation as an “injustice alien to the FCT” and warned that the health sector could collapse if the issues were not urgently addressed.
“We want the minister to solve these problems so doctors can practice effectively. We gave a 21-day ultimatum last week during our Annual General Meeting, and now 14 days are left,” Ebong stated.
He urged the minister to act swiftly, stressing that a potential shutdown of hospitals would be devastating. “We don’t want a shutdown that could lead to loss of lives. It is important the minister listens and acts without delay,” he said.
The doctors’ demands include the immediate clearance of six months’ salary arrears owed to members employed in 2023, as well as the prompt payment of the 2024 Medical Residency Training Fund.
Ebong also called for a review of the bonding policy for doctors, reducing it from six years to two years. Other demands include the implementation of the skipping policy for 2023 recruits, payment of accouterment allowances for 2024, settlement of 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears, conversion of eligible doctors to consultants, and the expedited recruitment of healthcare workers to address staff shortages in FCT hospitals.
The ARD president expressed optimism that the minister could resolve the issues and prevent further deterioration of the health sector.
