The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Ondo State has called on the state government to pay health workers their hazard allowance to prevent those working in state hospitals from going on strike.
The NMA chairperson in the state, Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, made the call on Monday in Akure during a news conference heralding the Physicians’ Week.
Mr Omosehin-Osowe said members working under the state government had shown enough patience over the failure of the government to implement a 100 per cent hazard allowance for them.
He said the association cannot guarantee industrial harmony in the health sector if the state government fails to release a circular for the implementation of the health hazard by Tuesday.
The NMA chairperson said the federal government and some state governments had been paying doctors the increased hazard allowance.
According to him, the NMA was exploring all peaceful avenues toward securing some economic reprieve for its members.
READ ALSO: 2021 supplementary budget to accommodate doctors’ hazard allowance – Gbajabiamila
He also appealed to the government to expedite action on payment of improved salaries of health workers.
“The progress towards payment of slightly improved salary to our members is just too slow.
“We are using this opportunity to call on the government to immediately commence the payment of the recently reviewed CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures with their arrears, and also the accoutrement allowance for medical doctors and dentists.
“I hope there won’t be a need for us to engage in another round of agitation for the implementation of what has been circularized since July 2023. Let’s make hay while the sun shines,” he stated.
“We use this medium to humbly sound a note of warning to all and sundry to never try to run Nigerian doctors down in any way but to always follow due process if aggrieved in discharging their responsibilities.
“If anyone has any case against a doctor practicing in Nigeria, it should channel such to the Registrar of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for appropriate response, being the body statutorily saddled with such responsibility,” Mr Adeyemi-Osowe said.
(NAN)
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