Striking resident doctors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have accused FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of neglecting health facilities and worker welfare in the country’s capital, Abuja.
George Ebong, President of resident doctors in the FCT, stated that while Wike has been busy rebuilding roads, he has abandoned government-owned health facilities in the nation’s capital, many of which are in bad condition.
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“That’s just where we have our concerns. The minister has been very busy with projects, fixing roads, and all of that. We feel that he should also focus on the hospitals right now,” Ebong said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.
“We feel that we are the human abandoned project. No matter the things he does by fixing roads and bridges, the hospitals are the very first point of innovation and rehabilitation. They are hallowed ground; he cannot neglect them,” he said.
The doctors began a three-day warning strike on Wednesday over unpaid pay and allowances, among other issues, after a three-week ultimatum expired earlier. The development efforts took place at government hospitals in Abuja, including Wuse, Asokoro, Maitama, Kubwa, Zuba, Kwali, Abaji, Nyanya, and others.
Ebong stated that doctors are often unable to work due to a lack of electricity, drugs in hospitals, and insufficient manpower. He stated that several hospitals in Abuja were staffed by only one doctor.
Ebong stated that many doctors had not received their six-month pay despite working hard and shouldering the tasks of four or more people.
“I urge the minister to please try to ensure that all the wages are paid. I urge the minister to please visit all the ministers and see the state in which the hospitals are at the moment,” he said.
