LAUTECH: NMA calls for payment of full salaries, laments exit of 150 hospital staff in 5 months

The Nigerian Medical Association, Oyo State chapter has lamented the plight of doctors and other staff at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, calling of the state government to pay their salaries in full, rather than in percentages.

Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Oyo state, Dr Mojisola Atalabi, made this call in Ibadan, while addressing journalists, said doctors’ morale remained at the lowest ebb because they received 28 per cent of their expected monthly salary, apart from the fact that salaries were accumulated.

This, Atalabi noted had resulted in the exit of more than 20 medical consultants, over 60 per cent of resident doctors, 100 nurses, 10 laboratory scientists, five physiotherapists, six pharmacists and many other junior health workers, of the hospital, in the past five months.

He added that the challenging state of affairs at the hospital might not be unconnected with the stoppage of subventions to the hospital since January, 2016.

Atalabi decried the percentage payment of salary was peculiar to staff of LAUTECH teaching hospital and wondered why other health staff under the hospital management boards and local government system got their full salaries.

To ensure the smooth running of the institution, he called for the immediate constitution of a proper governing board for the smooth running of the institution.

Other demands of the NMA were, “the retention of the current human resource for health and attracting more for the progress of the institution through the prompt and regular payment of running subvention to the institution.”

“All doctors and workers of LAUTECH Ogbomoso should be treated like other employees of Oyo state and pay their full salaries like others. We also demand the payment of salary arrears being owed health personnel in the institution and stoppage of percentage salary for the health workers.

“We also call for proper funding of residency programme for effectiveness and qualitative training. There should also be a strong and sincere political will by the Oyo state government to pursue all the contractors that have been paid for one project or the other to deliver on the said projects.”

“Also, there should be sincere effort at ensuring accreditation of various departments for post graduate medical training as expected of a teaching hospital as well as undergraduate medical training,” Atalabi said.