Striking Doctors Resume In Ogun State
The Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has suspended its 25-day strike on humanitarian grounds.
The strike commenced earlier this month over the government’s failure to implement an agreed salary structure and has paralysed medical services across state-owned healthcare facilities.
Striking doctors announced the breaking of the strike on Friday, after an emergency general meeting of the association, held between August 27 and August 29, 2024, in the state capital, Abeokuta.
The body said, the temporary cessation of the strike was intended to facilitate a period of peaceful dialogue with the state.
Briefing newsmen at the association’s Secretariat in Abeokuta, the State NMA Chairman, Dr. Ogunjimi Luqman, reiterated the reasons behind the strike and the recent decision to suspend it.
According to Luqman, the strike was triggered after the State government failed to implement the reviewed Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) wage, which had operated for Federal medical workers since June 2023.
He explained that the decision to suspend the strike was motivated by the hardship faced by the public, during the strike period.
He said, “The congress acknowledged the severe impact of the strike on the people of the State due to the disruption in medical services.
“We have opted to suspend the strike for four weeks to allow meaningful discussions and negotiations with the state government.”
“The emergency general meeting, which first convened on August 27 and reconvened on August 29, assessed the effectiveness of the strike and reviewed members’ compliance.
“The meeting also considered the progress of negotiation with the state government.
“Despite ongoing efforts by the NMA executives, the issue of wage disparity remains unresolved.
“The decision to resume work was announced with a clear timeline that doctors are to return to their duties at 8am on Monday, September 2, 2024.
He appealed to the state government to address the association’s demands within the
four-week suspension, to prevent the resumption of the strike.
He added that members of the association would reconvene on September 30, 2024, to evaluate the situation and decide on further actions, based on the government’s response.
