The Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Chapter of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors, has embarked on an indefinite strike over serious reduction in workforce. The body embarked on this strike after much deliberations in its meeting and in a statement signed by the chairman and secretary of the association, Osikoya Oludotun and Ajose Oluwafemi respectively.

 

On what they described as “enormous persistent decline in workforce,” the doctors complained of the alarming rate of reduction in workforce, which they said had led to loss of accreditation for full training of resident doctors and had taken tolls on the health of few doctors in the hospital. In the statement, the doctors complained that the patient load over the years without a commensurate number of resident doctors, had prevented doctors from preparing adequately for their postgraduate examinations and the training of younger doctors and medical students.

The doctors said they were forced to resort to indefinite strike, as several meetings with the previous and current administrations in the state to address the issue failed to yield any positive response. They, however, demanded that the state government, as a matter of urgency, should replace vacant positions of the resident doctors, who had exited the system over the years. The union said this would prevent poor outcomes, breakdown of health of doctors, low morale and unfriendly relationships among the staff of the teaching hospital.