The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has frowned at the way it says the Government of Enugu State is handling a dispute with its members at the State University (ESUT) Hospital Parklane..
In a letter sent to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and sighted by @enugumetro, Drs. Aliyu Sokomba (President) and Bilqis Muhammad (Secretary) said they would do everything they can to protect ESUTH resident doctors from being visited with injustice and intimidation by the management of the hospital.
NARD recalled that it had written to the State Governor in September 2019 on the issue and asked the government to implement the “100% CONMESS and rejigging of the entry levels for members of ARD ESUT-TH Parklane.”
It noted that Government approved the payment to take effect from April 2020, as conveyed to the ESUTH Parklane branch of ARD in March when the Association resumed its strike action.
“ESUT-TH Parklane has more than ever before occupied a central position in Enugu State’s healthcare delivery as the pandemic of COVID-19 ravages with daily escalation of infected Nigerians.
“Members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in ESUT-TH play vital roles in the hospital and provide huge support and socio-economic benefits to the state government and the good people of Enugu state.
“We have observed that members of ARD ESUT-TH Parklane are not treated fairly, as they are from time to time faced with numerous problems, which if left unattended to will continue to generate unwarranted stress on them, their families psychologically, financially and otherwise.
“We therefore frown at the perpetual remuneration injustices and political pressure mounted on our members who have been starved even as they risk it all to care for the good people of Enugu state.”
According to the Association, “doctors of ARD ESUT-TH Parklane stand out as one of the least paid in Nigeria, therefore the high turnover of this high end professionals in Enugu state,” they said.
“They are placed a grade level below their counterparts in other tertiary hospitals.
“They are being paid a fraction of the old Consolidated Medical salary Scale (CONMESS) of 2009 which has been reviewed three times for other doctors as of today
The Association mentioned seven states – Anambra, Imo, Benue, Delta, Kano, Kaduna, and Borno – as those that have already implemented the enhanced salary package for doctors working in State University Teaching Hospitals,
Apart from the industrial disharmony caused by non payment of the CONMESS, NARD said it has equally observed the “lack of commitment on the part of the Management of ESUT-TH in the current impasse as the management is taking provocative rather than restorative steps.”
While imploring the State Government to pay what it promised the doctors, it warned that any further acts of “injustice and intimidation” of members, will be met with “extreme measures to ensure that the rights and privileges of all her members are protected.”
“That NARD alongside NARD South-East Caucus and all her members hereby implore the Enugu State Government to keep to the terms of the written approval and promise made to members of ARD ESUT-TH Parklane immediately to avoid a wider form of industrial disharmony.
“We have directed all the resident doctors in the South-East to mobilize for solidarity action if the Enugu State government allows the current issues to linger beyond this week.”
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