Striking Anambra Doctors Reject Obiano’s New Minimum Wage Offer

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Thursday, May 23rd, 2019

From Ignatius Okpara, Awka

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Striking Resident Doctors of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Awka, Anambra state, south East Nigeria, have rejected the new minimum wage offer presented to them by Anambra State, governor, Chief Willie Obiano.

The doctors who embarked on the indefinite industrial action on May 13, 2019, vowed to continue with the strike.

President of the Association, Dr. Obinna Aniagboso, who conveyed the governor’s message to his colleagues wednesday during their congress meeting held in Awka, the said the Obiano, offered to pay them the newly-approved minimum wage, which, according to the governor, would amount to N12,000 increment to all civil servants in the state as soon as the national guidelines were released.

Dr. Aniagboso said that the governor during the meeting with him expressed dissatisfaction with the poor payment of salaries and admitted that it was due to low Internally generated revenue (IGR), noting that he though, promised to revisit resident doctors’ salaries issue in one year time when the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) may have increased.

But the angry doctors during the meeting broke into a chant of No! No! No!, just they expressed shock and disappointment at the minimum wage offer, wondering why COOUTH doctors should be neglected for long.

They insisted that full payment of their salary should commence from April 2019, as agreed to by government representatives earlier this year.

The striking doctors, maintained that they would no longer continue receiving 40% of their salary, stressing that they were languishing in penury with no progress in their residency training.

They equally warned that many doctors would keep leaving and the hospital could remain stagnant if nothing was done urgently to arrest the development.

The aggrieved doctors also condemned what they described as devious tactics and insincerity of the hospital management, and passed unanimous resolution to continue the indefinite strike until their demands were met.

They insisted that government would pay them the balance of their April salary and continue with payment of full salary, as obtained in other institution.

“We are continuing with the strike action pending the implementation of 100 per cent of CONMESS as obtained elsewhere. Let government approve and grant -service training for all qualified medical officers.

The hospital Association of Resident doctor of COOUTH, had last week embarked on an indefinite strike action following the failure of the governor Obiano led . Government to honour the agreement it signed with the association on January 17, 2019 during their warning strike.

Our Correspondent learnt that the development has thrown patients in the hospital into confusion, as many are now moving to private medical facilities, while some who do not have the exorbitant medical fee being charge by private hospitals are stranded.