VAM News update
Doctors in Ondo State, under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), on Monday threatened to embark on industrial action over payment of hazard allowance, just as they decried the alarming exodus of doctors from the state hospitals.
The doctors who called for improved funding of the health sector threatened to embark on strike action if the state government fails to implement payment of hazard allowance for doctors.
The Chairman of NMA in the state, Dr Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, who stated this during a press conference to mark 2023 Physicians Week, said more than 650 of the 900 registered medical doctors had resigned, fled, and practised abroad because of the working conditions in the state.
He said, “The health crisis in the state is unprecedented as the mass exodus hits an alarming proportion. Over 650 doctors have resigned from the state, and we have less than 350 doctors in the state.
“The government knows this, and that’s why they approved the employment of some 1,000 health workers in the state. The working conditions must be conducive, and we cannot stop people from migrating. There are ways to tie doctors down with incentives like cars, houses, and other loans.”
The NMA Chairman, however, disclosed that a strike looms in the medical sector, threatening that doctors in the state would embark on strike action if the state government fails to implement payment of hazard allowance for all doctors in the state.
“Doctors in the state will embark on industrial action if the circular on the hazard allowance is not released by tomorrow, Tuesday, October 24, 2023. By Friday, October 27th, we will embark on strike.
“We have been able to tell our members to be patient over the hazard allowance but it is worrisome that we are yet to get the hazard allowance despite the approval by the state government since August.”
He said most doctors are running away from Ondo state, saying this is responsible for the shortage of personnel in Ondo Hospital, and attributed the shortage to the failure of the state government to comply with some working conditions
He said, “The federal government has approved an entry point for doctors at GL 13, but in Ondo State, we are still using GL 12, and they are employing doctors without adjusting the entry point. Many of the employed doctors are turning back, while many have run away and left for a better offer.
“We have discussed this with the government several times at different meetings, but we are concerned with the number of doctors turning away from being employed in the state because of the point of entry.”
The Ondo NMA Chairman, however, charged the federal government to provide adequate security for medical personnel in the country, saying “It is high time our security agencies ended this menace of “one chance” and most of the insecurity problems, including kidnapping for ransom.
“The menace of kidnapping doctors, dentists, and their relatives has become a daily event to the point of desensitisation.
The government and our fellow citizens are no longer moved by our plight because all we see is lip service. For us, the saying “In the midst of life, we are in death” is an existential reality.
“We and our relatives have lost our fundamental right of freedom of movement, and our government and society are just moving on.
At this juncture, we wish to thank God for all our colleagues who were abducted but lived to tell the story.
“We pray for their employers to provide them with the necessary physical and mental health support to completely overcome the medical and psychologic sequelae.”