Following the failure of the Nasarawa State government to address their concerns, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Nasarawa State has announced a five-day warning strike.
The NMA in the state has stated that the strike will commence on Wednesday, July 5th, at 8 am and will conclude on Monday, July 10th, 2023, at 8 am.
Previously, the association had given a 21-day ultimatum to the Nasarawa State government, demanding the fulfillment of their requests or else they would take industrial action.
The NMA in the state expressed dissatisfaction with various issues, including the non-implementation of doctors’ promotions and annual salary increments, failure to implement the minimum wage and consequential adjustments, non-implementation of the revised hazard allowance and the outstanding 17 months of arrears, inadequate staffing and excessive workload for doctors, high tax burden on doctors, and the non-payment of medical residency training funds.
Dr. Peter Attah, the Chairman of the Nasarawa State chapter of the NMA, addressed the press during a briefing in Lafia on Wednesday.
He stated that the decision to commence the five-day warning strike was made during the association’s meeting held in the state capital on Tuesday.
Dr. Attah criticized the state government for its lack of commitment in addressing the challenges faced by NMA members. He emphasized that doctors and other medical workers in the state were experiencing difficulties due to inadequate welfare packages provided by the government.
“The state government did not show seriousness to meet our demands and we have been patient enough on the matter. So, after 21 days’ notice, we have decided to embark on a five days warning strike which is starting today. We will resume work next week Monday, July 10, to take further decisions on the matter if the government fails to meet our demands before the said date.
“The strike action was unanimously decided by our members, so a monitoring team will be going around to check the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, and other 19 General Hospitals across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state, and any NMA member who defaults, will face the disciplinary committee of the association,” Dr. Attah added.
