The Edo State Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has issued a 21 day ultimatum to the Edo State Government to address what it referred to as the comatose state of the health sector or else it will embark on an indefinite strike.
Chairman of the Association, Dr Emmanuel Ighodaro, while addressing journalists in Benin City on Thursday, said they had drawn the attention of the governor to these issues in February 2013 and since then nothing remarkable had been observed.
The Association threatened to embark on strike if there were deductions from their salaries owing to their participation in the national NMA warning strike.
The issues the NMA expects the Edo State government to address include poor infrastructure and lack of appropriate working tools, gross shortage of manpower and the expansion of Universal Health coverage through the National Health Insurance Scheme and community based Health Insurance Scheme.
Others include stagnation in grade level due to non-release of health workers promotion since 2011, multiple taxation in private facilities in the state and the immediate implementation of the consolidated salary structure in the state.
The union also said that aside the 21 day-strike threat, it had written to the government not to deduct their salaries for participating in the national strike else they weould go on strike.
“While it is unrealistic to expect that all the issues will be addressed within 21 days, it will be content with an MOU containing a genuine road map on how these issues will be addressed,” the NMA stressed.
