The Government of Rivers State has ordered resident doctors at the State University Teaching Hospital to call off their ongoing strike within 24 hours from Tuesday, ‘or forfeit their salary and risk been sacked’.
A statement by the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, which was sighted by Africa Daily News, New York on Tuesday, stated that while the doctors have the right to go on strike, the Rivers State Government expects that such action ‘should be restricted to Resident Doctors that are directly under the payroll of the Federal Government, particularly as the Rivers State Government does not owe salaries or benefits to resident doctors in the state’.
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The Association of Resident Doctors at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital after its congress on Monday directed its members to join the nationwide strike.
The leadership of the Association in a nine-point communique accused the the Wike-led Government of failing to domesticate the Medical Residency Training Act 2017 and pay COVID-19 inducement hazard allowance to its members.
They also accused the government of refusing to promote doctors at the hospital for a minimum of eight years.
The communique, however, appreciated the Rivers State Government’s effort in developing infrastructure in the health sector.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
