Stagnated doctors warn of “looming crisis” across FCT hospitals

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in the FCT has warned of “looming crisis” across hospitals run by the Federal Capital Territory Administration over “stagnation of doctors”.

It came after health workers entitled to skipping a grade level were evaluated for promotion and then promoted to the same grade level they had previously skipped to.

“Doctors were promoted to the same grade level they were earlier promoted to thereby resulting in stagnation,” said Dr Roland Aigbovo, president of ARD in the FCT.

“We have made frantic efforts to resolve this imbroglio but it seems FCTA management has reneged on their promise.”

Four groups of health workers, including nurses, midwives and consultants, have jointly written twice to the FCTA to address the “lingering issue of stagnation.”

Resident doctors have been negotiating the stagnation of doctors implemented by the skipping policy, including meeting with the former FCT minister Muhammad Bello and permanent secretary Chineyeaka Ohaa.

“The FCT Management promised to rectify the stagnation and promote all affected staffs to the new level but this seems to be a mirage as promotion screening exercise have continued without correction,” said Aigbovo.

He said while FCTA fulfilled some promise to pay arrears accumulated from skipping, its move on promotion has been “all talk and no action.”

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria was among the groups that wrote to the management since last November.

“We have not gotten any positive response,” said Dr Adetiloye Adeoye, chairman of MDCAN in the FCT. “We have only been acting to allow peace to reign.
“What has transpired was a blatant shortchange. When it was time to be promoted, they were promoted to the same skipped level, thereby turning that promotion to a nullity.”