Enugu State Government has been given a 14-day ultimatum by the Association of Resident Doctors of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital (ESUTH) to increase medical staffing and guarantee safety.
The ultimatum was issued against the backdrop of Doctors leaving the shores of the country,which stretches Doctor to patients ratio at the teaching hospital.
The Doctors’ position made known in the statement that was jointly signed by the association’s president, Chukwunonso Ofonere, and secretary general, Ikemefuna Nnamani.
The statement was issued on Saturday, November 18, following the conclusion of the association’s emergency general meeting, which was held on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, in Enugu.
It demanded that the Enugu State Government and the management of ESUTH proclaim a state of emergency regarding the hiring of doctors at the hospital.
Also, it was observed at the general meeting that despite the government having assured the ARD, through the secretary to the state government, that medical officers and resident doctors will be employed there is yet to be an advertisement to that effect.
‘First, the management should declare state of emergency on the employment of doctors in the hospital. There should be an urgent approval for the recruitment of medical officers, resident doctors and House Officers in the hospital.’
“This recruitment should be focused especially at the Accident and Emergency Department, Surgery Department, Internal Medicine Department, Paediatrics Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Departments,”Part of the statement read.
It was mentioned that the hospital never replaced the resident doctors who had left in the previous four years.
The statement also noted that the management should provide safety procedures to shield its employees from physical harm and kidnapping, stressing further that the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), will be implemented immediately, similar to other states.
The concluding part of the statement highlighted that industrial peace could not be guaranteed if the aforementioned conditions were not addressed after 14 days.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org