By Aderemi Bamgbose
Activities resumed partially at the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Okitipupa on Thursday folliwing the suspension of the 11-weeks-old industrial action by doctors in the state.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who visited the hospital reports that few doctors were providing skeletal services while some nurses were seen conducting routine ward rounds.
NAN reports that the state’s chapters of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Residents Doctors (NARD) suspended their 11-weeks-old strike on Wednesday following the intervention of the state’s House of Assembly.
Mr Olusegun Temuna, a patient told NAN that he was in the hospital because of the announcement of the suspension of the strike.
“I came here today when I heard the strike has been suspended, but I have yet to be attended to by any doctor.
Another patient, Mrs Modesola Iwakun told NAN that nurses has attended to her by cleaning and dressing her wounds.
Dr Ibukun Olatomide, one of the doctors told NAN that doctors resumed at their duty posts since the suspension of the strike on Wednesday.
He said partial activities were witnessed because most patients had been taken to other hospitals because of the strike.
“Most of the doctors are on ground since the suspension of the strike; the partial activities noticed is still the remains of the strike as most patients have been taken to other hospitals because of the strike.
Another doctor told NAN that the state government owed doctors six to seven months salaries and that it was supposed to pay at least two-months of the backlog immediately the strike was suspended.
He said it should not be a surprise if most of the doctors did not resume work until government paid part of the salary arrears.
`We are suffering and are appealing to the government to fulfil its own part of the bargain,’’ he said.
The doctor expressed the hope that government would do the needful by addressing demands as contained in the letter sent to it.
Efforts made to speak with Dr. Akintunde Ogunfeyimi, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital did not yield result. (NAN).