‘We’re already receiving half salary’ – Kogi doctors reject pay cut

Doctors in Kogi state have rejected the state government’s proposal to cut salaries of health workers.

In a statement on Sunday, Kabiru Zubair, chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Kogi state chapter, said doctors working with the state’s civil service are already at a serious financial disadvantage when compared to their counterparts in other states.

“The NMA is not unaware of the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 and the consequent economic downturn. But, the NMA strongly rejects any salary cut for doctors and other health care workers,” Zubair said.

”This is because doctors in Kogi state have been getting along on half salary before now, occasioned by the non-implementation of corrected CONMESS -Consolidated Medical Salary Structure.

”Non-implementation of the new minimum wage of N30, 000 and its consequential adjustment, skipping, relativity, promotion, and annual step increment.

”The average doctor working with the Kogi state civil service is already at a serious financial disadvantage, compared to their counterparts at federal or other states in the federation where salary adjustments have been implemented.”

Zubair said the federal government’s decision to increase the hazard allowance of health workers from the initial N5,000 by 50 percent is to encourage the workers who are at the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“NMA expects Kogi state government to take similar steps to encourage and retain its health care workers at this time and not to cut wages,” he said.

”This is not the time to start losing doctors and other workers, due to salary matters as we are in the middle of a healthcare war that we do not know when it will end.”

“It is no longer news that over 100 health workers have been infected by this virus and some have paid the supreme price. Hence, most hospitals are on red alert and consider all patients as potential carriers of COVID-19.

”Because of this high level of suspicions, doctors prefer to detect COVID-19 in patients before proceeding to manage them for their clinical conditions.

”The inability of the state to test or follow laid down protocols in order to exclude COVID-19 patient may lead to the needless death of patients presenting other clinical conditions, due to neglect by health workers.

”It should be noted that if doctors should attend to one unknown case of COVID-19 in the hospital settings, it may spread to many health workers and their families.”