Lokoja, June 23, 2023
The National Association of Government General Medical & Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), Kogi State chapter, has called for urgent need to review the current salary structure of doctors working in the State civil service.
The association made the call in a press statement on Friday in Lokoja, jointly signed by its State Chairman, Dr. Ugoh Stanley Nkemakolam and Secretary, Dr. Okundaye Benson, respectively.
The association said the current salary structure of doctors working in the state civil service is no longer fashionable in line with the current economic realities.
The association advocated for the payment of the arrears of hazard allowance and appealed to the State Governor, Alh. Yahaya Bello to take immediate actions to cushion the harsh effects of the removal of fuel subsidy as well as the proposed power subsidy removal.
According to NAGGMDP, the fuel subsidy removal is already biting hard on them as the high cost of transportation and general commodities in the market has made a complete mess of their current salary structure and allowances.
The association expressed fears that the age-long industrial harmony between the association and the State government is currently under threat by the current hardships which her members are currently passing through.
The doctors pleaded with the State government to wade into their members’ wage crisis, adding that there was a looming mass exodus of doctors from the state to other States with greener pastures.
This, they said would spell doom on the State health sector and further aggravate the excessive work load on the few remaining doctors struggling to survive.
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