Doctors To Resume Strike As Kogi Govt. Fails To Honour Agreement
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Kogi says it will direct its members to resume a strike they suspended in June 2017, if the State Government failed to meet their demands in the fortnight.
The NMA gave the hint in a communique issued at the end of the State Executive Council Meeting, signed by its Chairman Dr Godwin Tijani; and Secretary, Dr Zubair Kabiru, on Monday in Lokoja.
The association said that the decision to resume the strike was informed by government's alleged failure to redeem the promises entered by the both parties in June 2017 to meet their demands.
"The NMA wishes to draw the attention of the Gov. Yahaya Bello to the plight of doctors working in the state civil service.
"Following the suspension of our last industrial action in June 2017, the NMA has waited patiently with the hope that some of the pertinent issues that led to the strike will be resolved promptly.
"But to our dismay, rather than resolving these issues, more have been added. The condition of doctors working with the State Government has degenerated.
"In November alone, a doctor serving with the General Hospital, Ogori, and a doctor's wife in General Hospital Obangede have died.
"Despite their health challenges, the undue hardships as a result of delayed and non payment of salaries cannot be completely ruled out and remained a contributing factor.
"Six doctors working with the Kogi State Specialist Hospital (KSSH), including the recently employed one have relocated to other states and more are still planning to leave as soon as possible.
Kogi NMA has deliberately delayed calling for a general congress meeting to avoid unnecessary industrial action.
"However, if nothing is done in the next two weeks, we will call for a congress meeting to decide on the way forward, which may not guarantee industrial harmony in with doctors in the state," the association said.
It would be recalled that the NMA had on June 22, suspended its then 18-day-old strike to pave way for resolution to enable the government meet her demands.
The issues at stake are: "unresolved issues of promotion and annual step increment, non-implementation of skipping and relativity, and cleared doctors after four months have remained unpaid for 11 months except August salary recently paid.
"Several doctors working with the Hospital Management Board (HMB) are still being underpaid, while newly employed doctors have not been paid since resumption of duty in August 2017.
"In addition, all doctors working with Kogi Government now have a backlog of three months' salary arrears for KSSH and four months for HMB".
(NAN)
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