FMC Owerri Crises: Doctors threaten showdown with Health Minister

www.odogwublog.com reports the Association of Resident Doctors of the Federal Medical Center, Owerri chapter has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently wade into the impasse bedeviling the hospital, warning that activities may endanger healthcare delivery at the centre.
The ARD members gave the warning while addressing the media in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
According to their President, Dr Victor Dike, presently the centre has been run into a near comatose level, saying they lack hand gloves, infusions sets, intravenous cannula, adding that the patients are being forced to provide the materials that are used in attending to them.
Dr Dike lamented that despite the big Laboratory complex the center boasts of, clinical specimens cannot be produced, saying it has made medical investigations impossible at some times no matter how urgent the case may be.
On their welfare, Dike disclosed that there has been embargo on employment of Doctors. "The last time Resident Doctors were employed in the center was three years ago. An attempt by the hospital management to recruit resident doctors a few months ago was scuttled by the federal ministry of Health. This was after intending resident doctors had indicated interest by picking forms and payed their processing fee", he lamented.
According to him, residency programme offers inhouse training to Doctors who will then advance to become specialists, regretting that sponsorship to the mandatory program has been denied them.
Dr Dike disclosed that currently Resident Doctors who passed the required professional examinations and are due for upgrade both in ranks and grade levels have not been upgraded for over one year running.
He lamented that they have been poorly remunerated for two years running when compared with their counterparts in other states saying the Hospital was yet to implement the skipping as directed by the Federal Government through a circular dated 19th December 2013 with ref no: HCSF/EPO/EIR/63755/T1/195, where a new placement was approved for doctors in federal tertiary hospitals in Nigeria from 2014, saying it has resulted into an anomalous difference in their salaries when compared with their counterparts in other centres. 
Dike lamented saying "it is an injustice, same country, same federal tertiary institutions, same rank but hugely different salaries. What an injustice! 
Dike explained that despite the agreement between the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; and other stakeholders that their December, 2015, salary be paid, the relevant Agencies have remained adamant and refused to comply.
Dike appealed "we appeal to the Honorable Minister of Health to pay us our December, 2015, without further delay. We once again urge the Federal Ministry of Health and the management of FMC Owerri to be awake to their responsibilities. They should correct these anomalies in the centre immediately in order to avoid breakdown of industrial peace which would negatively affect all services, activities and programs at the only federal government owned health institution in Imo state ".