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Chima Azubuike
President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Uche Ojinmah, has slammed the Abia State Government for owing its members over 24 months’ salaries and allowances.
Ojinmah, in his address at the end of its National Conference with the theme Health care delivery in the face of insecurity, held in Gombe, said the action of the government was provoking and painful.
He stressed that members should serve the government three weeks’ notice before embarking on indefinite industrial action.
He said, “NEC reviewed the continued withholding of the allowances and salaries of doctors in some states of the Federation and expresses disappointment with the failure of Abia State Government to pay salaries and other allowances of doctors and health workers for up to 24 months.
“We consider the action by Abia State Government unfair irritable highly provocative to the tenement of civil service rule and natural justice.
“The NEC directed that NMA Abia state ensure the right and privileges of all doctors especially those working with the government are not trampled upon by using all legitimate means at their disposal.
“Direct that; NMA Abia branch should serve a three weeks notice of industrial action to Abia state government and if there is no satisfaction at the end of three weeks, they should declare total and indefinite strike that would involve doctors in all the state and Federal institutions, a total shot down.”
He also called on other defaulting Ekiti, Ondo, and Imo states to clear their debts or be faced with similar action.
“We have taken enough from Abia state. Also, I want to call on Ekiti, Ondo, IMO to clear the backlogs in the interest of peace before we decide to do the needful,” Ojinmah said.
The NMA president also faulted the decision of the Federal Government to establish traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine in the country, adding that it could meddle with the responsibility of the Medical and Dental Council.
He said, “NEC decried Action of FG in sponsoring a bill on the establishment of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in this country as against the norm of the chatter signed by African countries to establish a board for African traditional medicine.
“We wish to point out that complementary and alternative medicine is different from traditional medicine and this is the domain being controlled by the Dental and Medical Council. And this bill if passed shall conflict with the Medical and Dental Council Act of Nigeria.”
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