Resident Doctors of the university of Maiduguri teaching hospital UMTH have shun the federal government and refused to resume work on Monday.
The Chairman of the UMTH chapter of NARD Dr. Sadiq Kaka in Maiduguri disclosed that there is no attendance register for the striking Doctors and the affected doctors will continue with the strike until given directive by their national headquarters to resume.
He told Punch: “As of today (Monday), I, as the chairman of UMTH chapter of NARD, have yet to receive any directive from our national body instructing us to report to work. We have complied 100% with the national directive to embark on strike action and that is what we are doing.
“That the federal government threatens not to pay our salaries if we do not resume work is a farce because we are together in solidarity with our national body irrespective of the circumstances,” Sadiq Kaka stated.
On the peculiar situation of Borno State as regards the outcome of insurgency and urgent medical needs of patients in the hospital, the doctor said there are other medical workers that will provide sufficient attention to the patients.
He said, “We are aware of the large number of patients seeking medical attention at the teaching hospital especially considering we are in a crisis ravaged state that has high demand of our services. But we are not bothered because there are consultants and other medical students who have been drafted in to provide all necessary attention to the patients but as for the resumption of work, we in UMTH Will strictly obey our national body.”