The Kogi State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, has
declared an indefinite strike over issues bordering on non payment of
outstanding salaries and arrears to doctors in the state.
The indefinite strike will start 12 midnight of Wednesday, 3rd May, 2017.
This decision to embark on the strike was taken at the emergency
Congress meeting in Lokoja by the Chairman and Secretary of the
association, Dr. Tijani Godwin and Dr. Zubair Kabiru.
The statement read: “In spite of suspending our strike action for two
months to allow peaceful resolutions of issues bothering on special
consideration to all doctors employed in 2015 as earlier documented in
the memorandum of understanding signed on the 9th of January 2017
between Kogi State government and NMA, failure to clear nine doctors
after providing necessary documents as required by the screening
committee, underpayment of salaries and arrears of doctors that has been
paid, implementation of the new tax regime without commensurate
promotion and stepping of doctors in the state civil service, and
advertisement for employment of more doctors, despite inability of the
present administration to implement adjusted Consolidation Medical
Salary Scale (CONMESS), the government failed to reciprocate this kind
gesture.
“The Kogi state government should retain and pay the arrears of all
the doctors employed in 2015 as they have waited patiently while
providing healthcare service in the state for over 15 months without
salaries.
“It should clear and pay the remaining nine doctors whose name did
not appear on any list and issues of underpayment of salaries and
arrears should be corrected forthwith.

“The government should return the new tax regime to status quo, or
promote doctors accordingly before implementation for uniform taxation
among all the doctors in Kogi state civil service.”