Moses Igber, Makurdi
The Association of Resident Doctors, ARD-Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, has embarked on indefinite strike over non-payment of 18 months arrears of CONMESS 2023, non-payment of the 2025 MRTF and outstanding balance and non-implementation of 2025 incremental steps and 7 months arrears among other issues.
The Association also called for the complete renovation of the doctors’ quarters and payment of salary arrears for new or upgraded doctors, noting that their benefits should be paid same way doctors in the College of Health Sciences and consultants have been paid arrears in full.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the association’s President, Igbah Terhile Igbah, noted that “the current salary structures in the BSUTH were implemented in December 2024, following a strike action that started 28th November, 2024 and the18 month’s arrears were not implemented”.
He alleged that Governor Hyacinth Alia had requested the CMD to compile and forward the financial implications of the demands of the union such as the “implementation of the 2023 CONMESS with 17 months arrears” but the arrears were not reflected.
It said “only the CMD and hospital management can explain how the governor’s directive to send financial implications for all demands was not followed, and the arrears were left out as follow up discussions on the matter with the CMD since January 2025 yielded not positive results culminating into the ongoing strike action”.
The Resident Doctors decried their members missing out on the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), a yearly fund for resident doctors which supports registration for two post graduate examinations and update courses.
“The exams hold twice in a year, March/April and September/October. Doctors had to borrow money for the first batch of exams in March/April 2025 and the registration deadline for the second batch has also closed” the statement noted.
The statement called for the immediate payment of the funds to enable members do late registration for the exams which will close in another one week, noting that the payment of this yearly fund is a creation of law and annually budgeted for.
On the non-implementation of 2025 incremental steps and 7 months arrears, it said “This is a seamless yearly additional step to the grade level of all staff and it does not translate to promotion but an addition to the salary for the New Year thereby increasing your take home”.
“For the first time in the history of BSUTH, this was not implemented by the CMD for no justifiable reason, making BSUTH staff to receive same salary in August 2025 as they did in December 2024”. According to the statement, the deprivation is highly demotivating for a work force that is grossly understaffed and overstretched to manage over 95% of all victims of bandits and herdsmen attack in Benue”.
The Residents Doctors further complained about terrible condition of their quarters, noting that
The association has video and pictorial evidence of the deplorable state of these quarters which has already been circulated to the appropriate authorities without response.
“The doctors’ quarters in BSUTH are currently in terrible conditions. Doctors have to collect rain water in buckets and basins, including moving their household items from one corner of the room to the other as it rains”.
The statement added that the inconsistencies in the newly in the payment of the newly employed staff or those upgraded to deserving new salary levels should be addressed, while giving the CMD 21 days to clear these salary arrears and Governor Hyacinth Alia to respond to their demands.
