Rivers Doctors Seek Payment Of Wage Adjustment …Lauds Wike’s Health Dev Strides

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Rivers State University Teaching Hospital chapter has lauded the state government’s efforts in improving the healthcare of the state through construction of hospitals across the state, even as the group has appealed to the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike to direct the implementation and payment of the wage-adjusted CONMESS 2019 salary for their members.
The group made this request in a seven-point communique issued at the end of the emergency meeting held at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH, last Wednesday.
In the communiqué, which was signed by the President, Dr George Mathew, the Secretary, Dr Amachree Princeba, and Dr Gbelalo Franklin Ibinabo, the meeting re-appraised the welfare challenges facing the members, which according to them, form major part of the minimum demands that led the last industrial action embarked upon by NARD in April, 2021.
The meeting, among other things, observed that the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA) 2017 roadmap for Residency Training was yet to be domesticated in the state, and appealed to the state government to ensure that the residency training for members was domesticated in the state.
The communique noted with dismay, that payment of the Covid-19 inducement hazard allowance was done selectively for only health workers at the treatment centres despite the fact that all doctors and health workers were dangerously exposed to the risks of Covid-19 infection.
The communique further read thus, “that the departments of General Surgery, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Maxillofacial Surgery, Pathology, Internal Medicine and Anaesthesia are not yet accredited, and this has affected both training and service delivery, that proper placement of resident doctors who have passed their Part-1 Exams has not yet been implemented.”
Members of ARD expressed dismay over the non-promotion of doctors in the last eight to 10 years despite the prevailing escalating inflation in the country, and appealed to the state government to fasten the promotion process of doctors in the state.
They added that such gesture would motivate their members who are putting their lives in line of duty.

By: Akujobi Amadi