Resident Doctors in federal teaching hospitals across the nation have begun an indefinite strike over 10 months’ unpaid salaries.

Wole Ayegbusi, President of the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife, said this in an interaction with journalists on Monday.

“We have started an indefinite strike this morning to drive home our demands,” he said.

“You will be surprised that today, some federal teaching hospitals have not paid December Salaries, which is unfair because it affects our productivity. Also some of our members have been sacked for no just cause and several times we have made efforts to dialogue with the Federal Ministry of Health but maybe due to their selfish reasons or incompetence, we have not been able to actualize that.”

Ayegbusi said the association had to painfully resort to an industrial action as it appeared the only option that the government would pay attention to, adding that NARD had given the federal government several ultimatums to clear the backlog of salary arrears but nothing had been done.

He said the association wants FG to as a matter of urgency pay doctors their salaries so that the strike would not continue to drag.