Strike: Workers, Management Talks Deadlocked in Bayelsa Federal Hospital

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

Hope dimmed for distressed patients at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Thursday following the inability of the management of the hospital to pressure the aggrieved workers to call off the lingering strike action.

Workers’ unions at the only federal hospital in the state capital had gone on an indefinite strike over what they described as ‘’half payment’’ of their salaries since January this year.

Aside from the members of the Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, who had earlier downed their tools at the medical centre, the National Union of Allied Health Professionals, Yenagoa Chapter, had also embarked on an indefinite strike to push their demand for full payment.

The strike also paralysed the out-patients and laboratory services as well as the physiotherapy, radiotherapy and records departments of the hospital.

However, a meeting with the management team led by the Chief Medical Director, Dr Dennis Allagoa, ended in a stalemate yesterday as the workers refused to return to work until they get ‘alerts’ from their banks.

But the CMD told THISDAY that the problem was as a result of the shortfall in the budget accruing to the hospital, noting that the health workers were being paid 53.7 percent of their salaries so that the money could go round.

Further details later