By OLA AJAYI, Ibadan
HARD times await thousands of patients at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan as medical and dental consultants in the teaching hospital are set for industrial dispute over their unpaid three months allowances.
Already, they have given a four-day ultimatum to the management to settle the unpaid wages after the expiration of the earlier one on December 19, 2013.
While calling for immediate and prompt action from the management of the hospital to avoid unnecessary suffering of the patients, the consultants under the auspices of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association who have not gone on strike on local issues for the past 56 years, said they had not participated in any previous strikes in the health sector because of the importance of their services.
*Deserted hospital corridors will characterise this looming strike… Photo: Sola Ogundipe
According to the medical association which spoke through its chairman, Prof. Juwon Tunde Arotiba said once they go on strike, there would be total paralysis of medical services which could be very dangerous for the patients.
Prof. Arotiba who was flanked by the Acting Secretary, Dr. Victor Makanjuola further said, “the consultants are at the pinnacle of health care delivery in every part of the world including Nigeria. While some degrees of clinical services can be rendered when other groups in the hospital are on strike, a strike by the medical and dental consultants will lead to total paralysis of all forms of clinical duties as we are the primary people directly responsible for the overall care of the patients”.
Reacting to the issue of non payment of the allowances, the Chief Medical Director, UCH, Prof. Temitope Alonge after appealing to the consultants that the error did not emanate from the management but from Abuja said, “the management feels very upset about the attitude put forward by the elite in the medical circle, MDCAN after having series of meetings to resolve the issues.’’