Doctors in Ogun State, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), have embarked on an indefinite strike over salary disparity between federal and state medical workers.
Chairman of the Ogun State chapter of NMA, Dr Azeem Ashimi, said the state doctors resolved to embark on an indefinite strike as the state government failed to address the concerns of the doctors.
Ashimi said doctors had embarked on three days warning strike on August 3, to give the government room for negotiation. He regretted that while doctors were leaving the state for Western nations, the state government failed to see reasons to address the legitimate request of the doctors.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Dr Ashimi said, “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to reach a compromise with the government.
“The government continues to plead that the issues of minimum wage and other related matters are common but my people believe that we need to address the issues on the ground.
“The core of the doctors’ grievances lies in the reviewed CONMESS (Consolidated Medical Salary Structure), which they believe should be implemented to stem the exodus of medical professionals from Ogun State.”
Ashimi said doctors who committed to staying in the state to attend to patients deserve to be encouraged by the state government by implementing CONMESS.
He explained that the state NMA has been putting in initiatives that would encourage the doctors to stay in the state and continue giving their services. He noted that the pay disparity between federal and state medical doctors was one of the reasons doctors leave the state.
“Ogun State is losing a lot of doctors daily because of the pay disparity. If the reviewed CONMESS is paid, it will encourage the doctors to stay.
“We have recorded achievements aimed at helping doctors feel a sense of belonging in the community.
“We’ve facilitated access to land for housing, started a cooperative society for savings, and other measures.
“However, aligning the state workers’ pay with federal workers’ pay would go a long way in encouraging doctors to remain,” he added.
Ashimi said NMA would call off the strike if doctors see a strong commitment from the state government to implement CONMESS. He said the body would not agree to a verbal promise from the state government.
“We believe strongly that if the government can promise to pay this money in due time through a memorandum of understanding, we can go back to work. Verbal promises have often led to doubts, hence the need for something penned down,” he stated.
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