Doctors In Ogun Public Hospitals, Issue September 1 Strike Notice

Medical doctors in all the Ogun State’s public hospitals have issued a strike notice to the State government over unpaid hazard allowance.

Facilities to be affected include General Hospitals, Primary Healthcare Centres and the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital.

The 21-day deadline issued by the State branch of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) is scheduled to expire on august 31.

Dr. Kunle Ashimi, the state’s NMA chairman, expressed state doctors’ frustration with unfulfilled promises by the government in a conversation with the PUNCH and emphasised the importance of hazard allowances.

Dr. Ashimi said, “There is this hazard allowance we have been clamouring for. The doctors at federal institutions are already collecting it, but the state institutions have not.

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“We’ve had several meetings with the government as regards that. On March 5, during the electioneering campaign, Governor Dapo Abiodun promised to pay all the health workers in Ogun State, but it was an audio promise. We have had several engagements with them, but nothing has been done.

“It was because of the pressure mounted on them to fulfil the promises that they came up with the idea of giving palliatives to doctors. They now listed hazard allowance under it, but the doctor disagreed that there is a difference between hazard allowance and palliative.

“We expected that the government would make a move, and when we did not see anything, during our last AGM, it was agreed that we should give them another 21-day ultimatum, that if they did not pay or doctors were short-paid, there would be a statewide strike of all the doctors working with state hospitals and facilities across the state. All doctors in general hospitals, primary health care centres, and teaching hospitals would also be involved.”