The Kogi chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association on Thursday decried the poor working conditions of doctors in the state’s service, declaring that services were provided on empty stomach.
Dr. Kabiru Zubair, the Chairman, made the disclosure in Lokoja, at a world news conference to mark the 2018 NMA Physicians Week.
The theme of the Week is: “Universal Health Coverage: Leaving No One Behind”.
According to Zubair, the welfare of doctors has nose-dived following poor remuneration, poor working conditions, and lack of healthcare infrastructure.
He said: “The bad working conditions have resulted into mass migration of doctors to greener pastures with a heavy effect on the health sector.
“The situation gets worse every day; from underpayment, irregular payment to outright non-payment of salaries for more than five or more months.
“In spite of these difficulties, our doctors and other healthcare workers keep providing healthcare services on empty stomach at great risk to our families and professional calling.
“Currently, there is apathy and despondence in the health work force in the state. Clearly, we cannot continue like this.”
Zubair said that doctors, who were at the forefront of the struggle for better welfare for health workers, had lost the zeal to fight-on, saying that the only available option was to leave the state civil service.
He said: “As at today, a total of 79 doctors have left Kogi Civil Service.
“In the last nine months alone, 27 doctors have resigned from the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, including two consultants.
“Forty-four doctors have resigned from the State Hospitals Management Board while eight have left the Kogi State University Teaching Hospital, Anyigba.
“More doctors are just waiting for the next available opportunity to leave. The consequences are worsening healthcare indices in the state.
“The vacuum created will ultimately be filled by medical quacks to the detriment of our people and no level of policing can stop it.’’
He said that the Kogi NMA had threatened and embarked on several industrial actions in the last one year just to mitigate against the deteriorating situation.
Zubair said: “Even though NMA has dropped the idea of plunging Kogi health sector into another round of industrial action, we are not happy that government has not reciprocated the gesture by ensuring regular payment of doctors and other healthcare workers.
“We want government to make salary payment a priority to abate the current low morale and untold hardship in the health work force.”
He warned that Kogi NMA would not hesitate to ask her members and other stakeholders to campaign against any government or individual not ready to accord healthcare delivery the attention it deserved.
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