Meet doctors demands now or we escalate strike, NMA tells Ikpeazu

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By Steve Oko

The Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, has pleaded with Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, to clear the backlog of salary arrears owed doctors in the Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba, ABSUTH; and their counterparts in the Hospital Management Board, HMB, to avoid escalation of the on-going strike.

Medical Doctors in Abia have been on “every Tuesday strike” since three weeks ago, to register their displeasure over the 25 and 11 months salary arrears owed doctors in the affected institutions.

NMA, expressed dissatisfaction that despite several negotiations with Government, the arrears of the affected doctors were still outstanding.

According to the medical association, any doctor being owed wages “is unhappy and constitutes security risk” to his patients.

Chairman Abia State chapter of NMA, Dr Chimezie Okwuonu, who stated this during a news briefing in Umuahia, regretted that three weeks after doctors downed tools in compliance with the directive of their national body, the State Government was yet “to do the needful.

The NMA boss was during the briefing, flanked by the President of Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Medical Centre Umuahia branch, Dr Orji Onuoha; the immediate-past President of the association, Dr Kelechi Chikezie, among others.

Other signatories of the prepared speech read by the NMA boss were the Secretary, Dr Robinson Ugwuanyi and Publicity Secretary, Dr Christian Erondu.

The NMA boss who bemoaned the plights of the affected doctors urged the state Government to quickly do the needful or the strike action would be escalated after seven days.

“May we use this opportunity to call on the State Government to speedily respond to the request of offsetting the perennial salary areas of the Medical Doctors in Abia State specifically in ABSUTH and HMB; and set the stage for robust health care delivery which the state was once known for.

“If this is done, our members will be motivated again to continue service delivery in their different stations without interruption of services.

“The general public is hereby put on notice of this our modest way of registering our displeasure at this time and implore the Government of the day to do the needful. After the 4th week, there is likelihood of escalation of this strike to magnitude of affecting health services adversely in Abia State. A stitch in time saves nine.”

He noted, however, that Government had paid four months instead of six months bulk payment it had earlier agreed to pay for doctors in ABSUTH, but nothing had been done for those in HMB.

Okwuonu said Government was also not forthcoming on payment of arrears of two months every month till the backlog was cleared, explaining that up till July 11, nothing has been paid to the affected doctors for the month of June.

The NMA boss decried the condition of health sector in the state and pleaded with the state Government to save the sector from total collapse.

“Service delivery, residency training, teaching of Medical Students and research have been adversely affected by epileptic and sub-optimal services in the teaching hospital.

” The 18 General and cottage hospitals have been grossly under performing due to poor service delivery occasioned by low morale among our colleagues in the Hospital management board. All these have adversely impacted on our health indices as a state.

“With our General hospitals not functional and the teaching hospital below its usual capacity to deliver services, the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia becomes overstretched and our colleagues in those areas become over burdened with work and burn out usually set in.

“In addition, our members suffer untold hardships as a good number of us have no money to pay rent, school fees , settle family issues, not to talk of feeding our parents who invested so much in training us as Doctors.

“A Doctor who is owed such humongous amount of money is unhappy, cannot concentrate to take good care of another person’s health and is a security risk if not paid on time.”

On how it all started, he said:”Arising from its Annual Delegate Meeting and General Conference in PortHarcourt, Rivers State from 15th to 22nd May 2022, the Nigerian Medical Association noted that Medical Doctors in Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba are owed salary up to 25 months while those in the Hospital Management Board Abia State are owed 11 months salary.

“The Association noted that efforts made by both the National body and the State Chapter to resolve this have not yielded any positive result. Hence, the meeting directed that all Medical Doctors in Abia State in both private and public institutions should proceed on every Tuesday strike action.

“We are to do this every Tuesday according to the directive for one month at the first instance and report back to the national body. So far this is the third week and we are observing this strike action. “

The Abia NMA commended the national leadership of the association for identifying with its cause.

“We thank the National President Dr Uche Ojinmah, other members of the National Officer Committee and the entire Nigerian Doctors for identifying with our challenges. We are strong knowing you are with us at these moments. Our hearts are strong, our determination is firm and our resolve is unshakeable.

“To our members, we say stay on course, keep on pushing, continue to do your best wherever you are.”

The NMA Chairman enjoined doctors in the state who do not yet have their voter’s card to get it and and actively participate in the 2023 elections as responsible citizens.

“May we remember to get our Permanent Voters Card ready to do the needful so that we can be part of the change we so desire in the health sector in Abia State. As leaders in the health sector, we have the confidence and trust of so many people in the society who will depend on us for guidance, not only in health matters, but also in societal matters.

” May we, therefore actively participate in the decision making process and get many others to fall in line of our vision of having a health care system where non payment of salaries and allowances will be a thing of the past.”

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Steve Oko, Publisher/C.E.O, WaWa News Global. For more information on advert placement and news coverage, contact us on: 08038725600, or via email stevemanofgod2000@yahoo.com; wawanewsglobal@gmail.com Always read WaWa News Global - Your most dependable online news platform for the latest breaking news in Nigeria.