Lagos Doctors Threaten Strike Over Unpaid Allowances
The medical guild of Lagos State has called on the government to pay the reviewed consolidated medical salary structure allowance (the living wage of doctors) or prepare for a strike.
The chairman of the medical guild, Dr. Moruf Abdulsalam, made a statement on Wednesday saying, “CONMESS was implemented for their federal counterparts with their accrued arrears from July 2023. He continued saying “The non-payment of the reviewed CONMESS allowance has already been implemented for our federal colleagues and in the states of Ekiti, Delta, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Katsina.
This has worsened the salary parity between doctors in Lagos State and aggravated the already dire emigration of doctors to federal employment and out of the country. Moreover, the country’s current economic starvation and stagflation are biting harder on doctors too.”
READ: “Undernutrition increasing diabetes and hypertension in Nigeria”- health minister.
The guild went further by requesting the demotion of specialist consultants due to incorrect step entry points into the public service, saying “this had led to loss of income, low morale, and lack of interest from prospective specialists in joining the state health service.”
“We seek employment of medical officers on grade level 12/2 and consultants at grade level 15/4 in line with national best practices. immediate restoration and payment of contributory pension/NHF deductions for our resident doctors as enshrined in the Pension Reform Act of 2014, and full implementation of the September 23 medical guild position paper as discussed and assent to by the government of Lagos State.
The chairman, Dr Moruf Abdulsalam, appealed to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to take the necessary action concerning the proposed incentive for the health sector and avoid unnecessary crises, saying
“In the buildup to the disputed issues with the government, we would like to place on record that we have and will continue to employ all manners of advocacy and constructive persuasion to avert this looming crisis. In the coming days, we shall call on the association’s congress to determine the next line of action.”
Content Credit| Igbakuma Rita Doom
Picture Credit |
https://healthdigest.ng/abdulsalam-emerges-new/
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/04/9000-doctors-moved-to-uk-us-canada-in-2-years-%E2%80%95-nma/
