Medical interns and house officers of the Delta State Hospital Management Board have lambasted the state government for its refusal to pay their eight months salaries.
Lamenting their plight, some of the workers who spoke with journalists in Asaba said they could hardly afford their daily bread and have resorted to trekking to work because of lack of money to pay transport fares.
They said some of their colleagues have tested positive for COVID-19 due to the unavailability of Personal Protective Equipment.
They accused the hospital management board of threatening to revoke their medical licenses.
“We have been working in this pandemic and no personal protective equipment, face masks are not being provided, as a result of this some of us have been exposed and have tested positive and even been admitted in the isolation centre till recovery. And in all this, we’ve not been paid salary not to talk of COVID-19 allowance.
“In my centre alone, about five of us out of the nine house officers have tested positive and gone to Asaba Specialist Hospital for treatment and isolation. Still nothing is being done concerning our welfare and payment of our salaries.
“Right now, we are being threatened not to go to the press or involve in any form of strike as our medical license will be revoked, most of us are in fear of losing all we have worked hard for, hence are afraid to speak out. Yet, we are still being forced to come to work.
“There have been situations in the past where this happened and the interns were not paid until after the end of internship where a gross amount from the salary was removed and they could not do anything about it because they have finished their internship program. We don’t want this to happen to us especially as we are the first point of contact every patient must reach in this pandemic. It’s not fair.”