Ogun Doctors To Embark On Indefinite Strike Over Unpaid Hazard Allowance

Doctors working in state-owned health facilities across Ogun state have threatened to withdraw their services from 1st September over alleged refusal of the government to pay their hazard allowance.

The doctors, under the aegis of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) threatened to shutdown the health sector in the state with an indefinite strike.

The state of NMA, Kunle Ashimi confirmed this to journalists in an interview on Tuesday.

The strike according to Ashimi would affect the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching University Hospital (OOUTH), all state-owned general hospitals, primary health centres and doctors working with the Ministry of Health and Health Management Board.

CityMirrorNews reports that the NMA during their Annual General Meeting held on Tuesday, August 10, issued a 21-day ultimatum to the state government to pay hazard allowance with arrears.

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, 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.”

Speaking in the intending strike, the NMA chairman, insisted that the doctors at state-owned health facilities would embark on an indefinite strike if the government fails to meet up with the 31st September deadline.

He berated the governor for listing their hazard allowance as part of the palliative measures of the fuel subsidy removal, describing it as “insulting.”

His words, “We have had several meetings with the government as regards our arrears. In March during the electioneering campaign, our governor promised to pay all the health workers in Ogun State, but it was an audio promise, do you understand what hat ‘audio’ promise is? We met 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.”

Ashimi added, “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-day 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.”