Lokoja, June 21, 2023
The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Kogi State Specialist Hospital (KSSH) Lokoja, has expressed displeasure over the incessant delay in payment of their salaries by Kogi State Government.
The Association disclosed this in a Communique issued at the end of its Emergency Executive Council meeting on Wednesday in Lokoja.
The communique which was signed by ARD KSSH’s President and Secretary General, Dr Ameh Friday, and Dr Peter Samuel, respectively, said the association had observed with great displeasure an attempt at resurrecting the unsavory past of either percentage or no salaries or delayed salaries for months.
“We have also observed that this highly distasteful path is greeted with silence with respect to payment of salaries as at when due by month end.
“Our members are currently having challenges meeting up with their daily needs such as transportation, feeding, among others, in the face of the very harsh economic realities.
“Having examined the aforementioned observations critically, the Executive Council of ARD-KSSH states as follows:
“We shall be unable to guarantee industrial harmony should matters such as salaries of our members continue to come in either as percentage or no salary or delayed salaries inter – ilia.
“The outdated practice of paying salary for work done this month in the following or future months should stop to forestall any breakdown of industrial harmony and disruption of service in the Hospital.
“Priority should be given to the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja (KSSH) in similar manner as it is accorded other agencies and parastatals with respect to salary payments.
In view of the current realities, we are strongly of the opinion that the state government should ensure it immediately adopt any palliative measures/salary increment approved by the FG for civil servants in the wake of the removal of subsidy to prevent Mass Exodus of Doctors out of the state government employment to greener pastures,” the association said.
The group stressed that the progress on the aforementioned demands would be reviewed from time to time following which the ARD-KSSH, Lokoja would decide on the most appropriate line of action.
The association, however acknowledged the efforts of Gov. Yahaya Bello in repositioning the health sector within the state.
The group also commended the KSSH Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Isah Yahaya Adagiri for his achievements across all aspects of the hospital since assumption of office till date.
The association stressed that the KSSH remained the only tertiary hospital that did not the follow the National directive for all healthcare facilities to proceed on industrial action as occasioned by both the resident doctors strike action and subsequently by JOHESU in the very recent past.
“We wish to put it on record that members of ARD – KSSH have countless times in the lifetime of the current administration in the supreme interest of the healthcare needs of Kogians suspended joining industrial action that will affect the quality-of-service delivery in the hospital.
“This action which positively rubs off on all those passing through the state for one reason or the other and will need healthcare services.
“We also wish to state unequivocally that in the face of the massive Exodus of our members from KSSH hospital due to issues bordering on renumeration and basic welfare concerns, we have remained in the employ of the state Government and continued to provide quality Medical/Surgical Service”, the communique stated.
END