South South resident doctors lament poor working conditions in teaching hospitals

The South-South caucus of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) yesterday lamented the poor welfare status of resident doctors in state owned tertiary hospitals in the country.

Led by its leader and Deputy Leader, Dr. Emmanuel Osagiede and Dr. Godae Donbaridam, they described the state of resident doctors in the country, particularly those in the states employ as unacceptable.

“We reviewed the conditions of service of resident doctors at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port Harcourt, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH- Okolobiri, Bayelsa State and Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara. “It is pathetic to note that resident doctors in RSUTH-Port Harcourt have remained stagnated for over 8 years without promotion and proper placement.

“In NDUTH-Okolobiri, it was observed that there is protracted shortage of man-power, poor remuneration and improper placement of our resident doctors, while DELSUTH-Oghara is bedeviled with poor sponsorship of Residency training.“Generally, all the state owned teaching hospitals in the South-South and some in the South East are yet to domesticate Medical Residency Training (MRT) Act, which was signed into law since 2018.

“Particularly of note is the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, where resident doctors are being owed 14 months salaries. This has become unbearable for the doctors in Abia State,” it said.It also described the manpower shortage and refusal of management of the Federal Nuero-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City, Edo State to employ resident doctors at the institution.

Osagiede and Donbaridam, who frowned on the unsafe work environment for resident doctors in Laboratory Medicine at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Cross River State, urged the board and management of the Federal Nuero-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin City to immediately employ resident doctors to enhance smooth service delivery.

The NARD South-South caucus in a communiqué issued in Rivers State also charged the Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states governments to urgently domesticate the MRT Act and make funds available for training of resident doctors.It appealed to Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, to, as a matter of urgency, pay all salary arrears of ABSUTH’s resident doctors.