No fewer than 450 doctors in state-owned health facilities across Ogun State are presently gearing up to embark on an indefinite strike and withdrawal of services from September 1, following an alleged refusal of the government to pay hazard allowance.
PUNCH Healthwise gathered that the doctors comprised mainly those working at the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching University Hospital and different general hospitals and primary health centres across the state, as well as those working with the Ministry of Health and Health Management Board.
Findings by PUNCH Healthwise revealed that in total, 450 medical doctors presently work in different state-owned health facilities in the state.
It was gathered that the Nigerian Medical Association had in their Annual General Meeting held on August 10, 2023, issued a twenty-one-day ultimatum to the Ogun state government to pay hazard allowance with arrears, dating back to January 2023, to all doctors working in government-owned hospitals.
Different doctors’ associations, including the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, and the Association of Residents Doctors, were said to have written a series of letters to the state government, issuing various deadlines but got no response.
The NMA in a letter dated August 11, 2023, and sighted by our correspondent, said the AGM, which is the highest decision-making body of the medical association has agreed to embark on industrial action if the governor did not meet up with the new 21-day ultimatum which will elapse on August 31.
In the letter, which was addressed to Governor Dapo Abiodun and signed by the NMA chairman and secretary, respectively, it was noted that if the government does not pay the hazard allowance with the arrears in full from January 2023, there would be industrial acrimony in the state health sector.
Confirming the proposed strike, the NMA chairman in the state, Dr. Kunle Ashimi told PUNCH Healthwise that the doctors at state-owned health facilities would embark on an indefinite strike if the government failed to meet up with promises made during the electioneering period.
He alleged that the government has refused to respond or react to several letters written by associations of doctors to demand payment of hazard allowances.
Ashimi hinted that doctors at federal hospitals may also join the strike in solidarity with their colleagues if the government failed to heed to their demand.
He 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.
“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 made them come 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 had to write the governor a strong-worded letter that he should retract what he had done. Individual associations of doctors working for the state government have written letters too.
“In June, all these associations sent a 21-day ultimatum to the government to fulfil this promise. All the ultimatums given by the associations ended on June 28, 2023.
“We expected that 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 days ultimatum, that if they did not pay, or doctors are 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 and primary health care centres and teaching hospitals would also be involved.”