
ABU Teaching Hospital Doctors to embark on indefinite strike
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Ahmadu
Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria chapter Monday
said it has given the management two weeks to meet its demands
or be forced to embark on indefinite strike.
The doctors had recently staged a peaceful protest over their
outstanding allowances and what they called the deteriorating
condition of the hospital’s environment, which led to the
incursion of snakes and other reptiles where one of the doctors
was bitten by a snake.
Before today’s ultimatum, the doctors had also embarked on a 3-
day warning strike, which had paralysed activities at the facility.
Addressing a press conference Monday, the president of NARD in
the ABUTH, Dr. Waziri Aliyu Dahiru, said the resolution to embark
on the strike was reached on August 30, 2016 at an emergency
congress meeting.
Dr. Dahiru said the initial plan was for the strike to commence
today, September 5, but for the intervention of the Chairman,
Senate Committee on Health, Shehu Sani and Senator Suleiman
Othman Hunkuyi, Kaduna North.
He added: “Considering the antecedents and reputation of
Professor Abdulmuminu Rafindadi, (former CMD of the ABUTH),
the integrity of members of his committee, the ongoing efforts
by the Federal Ministry of Health and other distinguished
Nigerians, we hereby extend the ultimatum to September 15,
2016. This is to give enough time for amicable resolution of the
problem and for the management to do the needful.”
When contacted, the ABUTH Chief Medical Director (CMD),
Professor Lawal Khalid, said the management were working
towards addressing the problem, but the only constraint was lack
of fund.