NMA tasks Kogi Government on doctors’ welfare

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7 years ago

THE Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has appealed to the Kogi Government to give utmost priority to the welfare of doctors for effective healthcare delivery to the people.

Dr Godwin Tijani, the state Chairman of the association, made the call on Thursday at the 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of NMA in Lokoja.

The meeting was themed: “Intersectoral Collaboration Amongst Professionals and Professional Bodies”.

Tijani urged the state government to ensure regularity in salary payment, correction of underpayments, implementation of corrected/adjusted CONMESS, promotion and annual step increment, among others.

According to him, in spite of the several strikes embarked upon by the NMA in the past 24 months, “majority of our demands are yet to be met by the state government.

“Over these years, we lost four of our colleagues to the cold hand of death’’.

He noted that the NMA had played a unique role in health advocacy and policy information within the state, which was more evident in budgetary allocation to some key health interventions in the state.

On his achievements in the past two years, Tijani said: “Though we didn’t get everything within the time frame we wanted it happened, but we got the right results.

“Kogi NMA secured 20 hectares of land worth over N3.5 million, we give welfare packages, soft loans to members who had financial challenges due to salary irregularity; we stood by the families of the deceased members and give welfare support to the bereaved.

“We maintained a strong focus in medical workforce and training places, which made the State Ministry of Health employ more doctors in August 2017, and approval of over N1.5 billion to upgrade the State University Teaching Hospital, among others.”

Gov. Yahaya Bello congratulated the NMA members for their achievements over the past years, saying the “New Direction Government’’ had made the health sector one of its key five thematic areas.

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Bello, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Folashade Ayoade-Arike, said that the state government had improved the well-being of citizens through various healthcare intervention programmes in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

Bello added that the government had also renovated and upgraded many primary healthcare facilities, cottage hospitals and provided free health care services for pregnant women and babies under the GYB Healthcare Plus.

“I wish to assure you doctors in Kogi state that your welfare is paramount and of very important to the government, and we will make sure we give you first line payment.

“We are seriously working on that because we are tired of doctors going on strike. The lives of our citizens are very important to us and we can’t afford to lose anyone again because of the strike by the medical doctors.

“Please be patient with us, we are working tirelessly to make sure your welfare is paramount to us as government, be sure you have our backing as the government is moving the medical profession in Kogi state forward,” he said.

The Guest Speaker, Dr Idris Omede, the President, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (AFBN), underscored the need for effective synergy amongst professional bodies in all sectors for the progress of the nation.

He emphasised the need for the government and relevant stakeholders to give the professionals and professional bodies their role to play to enhance cohesion for the development of the country.