Monday 4th Oct.2021: Medical interns of the University Of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH have staged a protest on Monday over the non-payment of their 11 months' salaries.
Dressed in their white laboratory coats they sang as they marched towards the Government House in Calabar displaying placards and banners with different inscriptions, such as ' 'We are hungry, we are frustrated, our rents are expired,' "University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, 11 months without internship salary', Prof. Ikpeme A. Ikpeme, end this salary injustice now!!! 'Pay Interns salary from November 2020 - September 2021.'"
In a video obtained on social media, the protesting interns gathered in front of Cross Rivers Government House in Calabar with a voice in the video asserting that this was the eleventh month and they are yet to boast of a full month's salaries.
The voice noted that feeding had become a problem for them, stressing that a good number of them had developed ulcers during the programme.
"We are at the Government House of Cross River State now, this is the situation going on here. The Interns of the University of Calabar teaching hospital pouring out their voices, making their voices known concerning the issue going on there.
"This is the 11th month now and they are yet to boast of a complete month's salary. They have really suffered, feeding has become a problem. A good number of them have developed ulcers during the programme. Some of them are now homeless because of the situation.
"Government, please pay us, we have suffered, we have tried. The lives of a good number of us are under threat because we cannot pay back the money we borrowed. We cannot even pay back the money we borrowed to feed to survive, we cannot pay back anymore.
"Government please come to our aid, we have suffered, we have been working and this is the 11 months and yet the hospital management has not paid us our salary. Government, please come to our aid, we are suffering, we are crying," he stated.
The medical interns also accused the hospital management of owing them 11 months' salaries out of 12 months, which is the duration of the programme.
The programme started on October 22, 2020, and December 1, 2020, for the first and second batches respectively.
The interns said whenever they engage with the hospital management to discuss the non-payment of their salaries, they are threatened.
