Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan have issued a 10-day strike notice to the hospital management.

This is coming barely a month after the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) suspended its nationwide strike.

Segun Olaopa, President of the UCH branch of NARD, who disclosed this development at a news briefing on Friday, noted that the association has held several meetings with the hospital management but they have not yielded any positive outcome.

“It has become imperative to draw the attention of the press to the brewing issues in UCH. These issues if not addressed, may impact negatively on the existing industrial harmony at the hospital,” Olaopa said.

“These issues include: non-payment of our September salary, 28 per cent shortfall in August salary, 2016 shortfalls of 11 months till date and work overload due to management’s refusal to employ new residents.

“Presently, the number of residents stands at 525; this has reduced to 454, as some of them have completed their residency. By this October, 40 among us will also finish the residency.

“The implication of this is that the remaining few residents are given work overload and this should not be; management should employ more residents to make the workload easy and to achieve maximum productivity.

“Resident doctors’ accommodations need to be rehabilitated. The conditions of those flats are nothing to write home about. We implore management to do the needful in order to avert another strike.”

Part of the outcome of the dialogue which led to the suspension of the nationwide strike by NARD was that the Federal Government would ensure immediate release of funds to pay the doctors’ backlog of salaries, but it appeared that has not been the case so far.