Resident doctors lament poor conditions, snake invasion of OAUTH

The Association of Resident Doctors, Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has lamented snake invasion of the hospital and its annex in Ilesa, decrying poor working conditions in the two facilities.

The doctors disclosed this in a communique issued in Osogbo, the state capital, on Thursday, at the end of an emergency congress of the association.

The communique was jointly signed by its President and Public Relations Officer, Dr. Enesi Ibukunoluwa and Dr. Abiola Rasheed, respectively.

The association stated that despite several formal and informal engagements by the group with the management of the hospital, issues bordering on the welfare of members had remained largely unresolved.

The communique listed issues bordering on the welfare of the doctors in the hospital including the “continual shortage of doctors and increasing burnout among doctors, non-payment of up to 14 months arrears to 42 doctors who diligently worked with the majority of them still working for the hospital, non-capturing of the so-called newly employed doctors on IPPIS and the non-payment of withheld March 2024 salaries of over 45 doctors who were abruptly suspended from the hospital payroll without any justifiable reason.

“Non-availability of call meals during call hours and deplorable state of call rooms with bushy environments and multiple snake sightings, and non-payment of the accrued accoutrement allowance.”

The association demanded the “immediate payment of all outstanding arrears to 42 doctors who diligently worked and are still working for the hospital, immediate capturing on the IPPIS platform of the doctors above in line with the public service rule 040102, immediate payment of withheld March salaries of over 45 doctors earlier suspended from the hospital payroll, immediate restoration of call meals during call hours and refurbishment of doctors’ call rooms with urgent attention to the House Officers’ call room in the Emergency Department in Ife Hospital unit and Wesley Guild Hospital.”

Also included in its demands is the “immediate payment of the accrued accoutrement allowance, immediate reversal of the unjust implementation of the “No Work and No Pay” policy in the face of a five-day protest to correct a ‘Work and No Pay’ situation of up to 14 months to our members.”

The association further threatened to proceed with a protest on July 1, 2024, starting from 8 a.m. and a two-hour break during call hours to sort the call meals of doctors, if its demands were not met.

“No resident doctor, medical officer or house officer will be on the ground between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily starting July 1, 2024, until the call meal is fully restored.

“To proceed on an indefinite strike after four weeks if the aforementioned demands are not satisfactorily addressed,” the communique read.

Shedding more light on the issue of snake sightings at OAUTHC in Ile-Ife and its annex, Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, ARD’s spokesperson, Abiola, during an interview with The PUNCH, said, “Within the last month, seven snakes were killed in both Ilesa and Ife hospitals but majorly in llesa.”