Ondo doctors beg govt to pay hazard allowance

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Ondo State has called on the state government to commence immediate implementation of health workers’ hazard allowance to prevent its members working in the state hospitals from going on strike.

The NMA Chairman in the state, Dr Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, made the call on Monday in Akure during a news conference heralding Physicians’ Week.

Omosehin-Osowe said members working under the state government had been patient enough over the failure of the government to implement a 100 per cent hazard allowance for them.

He explained that the association might not be able to guarantee industrial harmony in the health sector if the state government failed to release a circular for the implementation of the health hazard by Tuesday.

The NMA Chairman said the Federal Government and some other state governments had been paying their doctors the increased hazard allowance.

According to him, NMA is exploring all peaceful avenues toward securing some economic reprieve for its members.

He appealed to government to expedite action on payment of improved salary 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 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 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.

He urged Nigerians to follow due process when felt aggrieved to service of medical personnel rather than disparaging them.

“We use this medium to humbly sound a note of warning to all and sundry to never try to run Nigerian doctors down in anyway 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,” Adeyemi-Osowe said.