Kogi doctors threaten strike over old agreements

Doctors in Kogi have threatened to resume in two weeks a strike they suspended in June, if the state fails to meet their demands. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Kogi 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 […]

Doctors in Kogi have threatened to resume in two weeks a strike they suspended in June, if the state fails to meet their demands.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Kogi 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.

"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,” said its chairman Dr Godwin Tijani.

"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 some of the recently employed ones have relocated to other states and more are still planning to leave as soon as possible.

"NMA 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 according to NMA include, unresolved issues of promotion and annual step increment, non-implementation of skipping and relativity as well as non payment of cleared doctors, amongst others.