Medical doctors in Ogun State, led by the Nigerian Medical Association, have gone on indefinite protest due to unresolved wage disparities between federal and state medical workers.
Dr. Azeem Kunle Ashimi, State Chairman of the Medical Association, said this during a press event on Tuesday at the association’s secretariat in Abeokuta.
He explained that the decision to go on an indefinite strike followed an unsuccessful three-day warning strike.
Ashimi stated that the strike, which began on Saturday, August 3, 2024, is primarily intended to resolve the wage imbalance between federal and state medical professionals.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to strike a deal with the government.
“The government continues to plea 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,” Ashimi told the press.
He continued, “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.”
“The pay disparity causes Ogun State to lose a large number of doctors on a daily basis. “If the reviewed CONMESS is paid, it will encourage the doctors to stay,” Ashimi stated.
Over the last two years, the NMA has launched a number of initiatives to retain medical workers.
He stated, “We have documented accomplishments targeted at helping doctors feel a feeling of belonging in the community.
“We’ve made it easier to get land for houses, established a savings cooperative, and taken other steps.
“However, aligning the state workers’ pay with federal workers’ pay would go a long way in encouraging doctors to remain,” Ashimi told me.
“I attended a seminar on human resources for health, and I am dissatisfied with the way doctors are leaving Nigeria, particularly in the state where I practise and am the Chairman of the NMA. Ashimi bemoaned that people are departing in droves.
Dr. Ashimi emphasised that Ogun State, renowned as the gateway state, can fix this issue and ensure the strike is short-lived.