Barely 11 days into the indefinite industrial action embarked by Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) Amaku, Awka Chapter, 10 consultants and 35 resident doctors have allegedly left the hospital.
The Chairman of MDCAN, COOUTH chapter, Dr Chukwudi Okani, who disclosed this in an interview, added that more would likely resign from the teaching hospital if the state government fails to address their demands which include improved salaries and adequate facilities for improved working condition.
Okani said the 45 medical professionals left in two years over poor working condition, prompting them to embark on strike to get government attention so as to prevent more loss of professionals to other hospitals.
“The strike is still on. There is need for an urgent action to forestall a system breakdown in the hospital, we need these trained men to man the machines, because it is hard to train a doctor more so, a consultant. We needed promotions as against our seven years stagnation. We need the payment of the minimum of 70 per cent of CONMESS,” he added.
However, the Anambra state Commissioner for Health, Dr Vincent Okpala, in an interview with journalists in Awka, disclosed that the state government was working hard to ensure there were no loss of experienced manpower at COOUTH.
Okpala said the poor working condition was being addressed, adding that “Diagnostics is being handled with installation of scan and other equipments. For CONMESS, we talking with them and they are going to be happy with the package government is going to come up with.”
