Nasarawa Doctors Suspend Strike, Give Govt 2 Weeks Ultimatum

The Nigeria Medical Association, Nasarawa State Council, has suspended its five-day warning strike. This was disclosed by the chairman, Dr Peter Attah, during a press briefing with journalists.

He said the decision to suspend the strike was reached at an emergency congress held on Monday in Lafia.

According to him, the decision was meant to ameliorate the plight of Nasarawa residents.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that NMA had embarked on a five-day warning strike from 5 July, to press home their demands on welfare issues.

The chairman, however, disclosed that the association gave the state government another two-week ultimatum to address their demands.

“The new ultimatum starts today, Monday to end on July 24. If by July 24, the government still refuses to meet our demands, we will call for Congress and decide on the next line of action, Dr Attah added.

He listed some of their demands including the non-implementation of promotions for doctors and annual salary increments for over nine years, the non-implementation of N30, 000 minimum wage and consequential adjustments.

Others are non-implementation of the reviewed hazard allowance circular and the accrued 19 months arrears, high burden of taxation, inadequate manpower and work overload.
He said that 25 doctors who were employed in 2014 at Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) Lafia and the State Hospital Management Board had not been promoted for nine years.

The NMA Chairman called on the public to impress on the state government the need to meet their demands in order to avoid further industrial disharmony in the health sector.
“These issues had lingered for long and we gave the government enough time, notices, ultimatum yet government delegations negotiating with us were not sincere.

“We can no longer stop our congress from insisting on going on an indefinite strike, should the government fail to meet our demands by the expiration of the new ultimatum,” he added.

He, therefore, directed all medical doctors working with the state government to return to their offices and await further directives from the leadership of the association.

(NAN)