Use FCT Hospitals, Striking Doctors Dare Wike And Akpabio
Striking doctors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have urged FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Senate President Godswil Akpabio to use government hospitals in the capital to realize the plight of health workers and patients.
He said, “All government officials must use government hospitals if they are prepared to improve the health care system in this country. George Ebong said Wednesday on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” program.
‘We want the ministers to use the Ucé General Hospital. We want the Senate President to use Maitama General Hospital. We want the Speaker to use Iyanya General Hospital. Then we can fix the system. If they don’t use it, we cannot fix it. I am sorry, but this is the truth.”
The doctors began a three-day warning strike on Wednesday over non-payment of salaries and allowances, among other issues, after a three-week-old ultimatum expired.
In response to the situation, government hospitals from Use to Asokoro, Maitama, Kubwa, Zuba, Kwari, Abaji, Nyanya, and others in Abuja have suspended operations. Ebong, the chairman of the resident doctors of the FCT, accused Wike and other government officials of neglecting medical facilities and workers’ welfare in Abuja .
Wike, who is busy repairing roads, said medical facilities in the capital Abuja have been neglected and many of them are in deplorable conditions. ‘That is precisely our concern,’ he said. The minister is extremely busy with projects, road repairs, and all that.
We feel that the minister should now focus on the hospital as well. We feel that we are the abandoned projects of mankind.” Whether the minister is repairing roads or bridges, hospitals are the first point of innovation and rehabilitation. Hospitals are sacred places and cannot be neglected,” he said.
For example, there may be no electricity and no testing on weekends. There is no medicine and the scanning machines are not working. In some hospitals in Abuja, there is only one doctor, he said.
According to Ebong, many doctors are not paid their six-month salaries, even though they work hard and are responsible for more than four people. When he [Wike] became minister, we met with him, but we also met with all the people who work for him. We sent him many letters and I am sure he is aware of it,” Ebong said.
He blamed the so-called bottlenecks in the system for things not being done properly. I urge the minister to ensure that all wages are paid. I ask the minister to visit all ministers and see what condition the hospitals are in now,” he stated. Ebon said that after the warning strike, the association will reassess the situation and if Congress feels nothing is being done, “Congress will have no choice but to go into a timed shutdown.”
