NMA strike: New salary structure for doctors takes off January 2015
The House of Representatives on Monday, 25 August announced that the new salary structure for doctors would be reflected in the 2015 budget and takes effect from January 2015.
Ndudi Elumelu, chairman, House Committee on Health, gave the assurance while reacting to the resolution of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to suspend the 55-day old nationwide strike on Sunday, 24 August.
According to him, the parties during the reconciliatory meetings attended by Federal Government’s team resolved “that the Federal Ministry of Health will grant the request of NMA for a new circular as demanded by NMA.
“That the Federal Government shall pay two months’ salary arrears to members of NMA on or before August 31, 2014; that balance of salary arrears would be reflected in the 2015 budget and paid to members
of NMA.
“That the new salary structure of medical doctors would be reflected in the 2015 budget and medical doctors will begin to get the new salary structure effective from January 2015.”
During the overview of the suspended industrial action declared by the association, Elumelu stressed the need for the Federal Government and organised labour unions to honour various agreements reached in the bid to forestall future strike action and ensure industrial harmony in various sectors of the nation’s economy.
“One of such lessons is the need to obey agreements. The law is pacta sunt servanda meaning: agreements must be obeyed. If parties had obeyed previous agreements executed between NMA and representatives of the Federal Government, the strike would have been averted. The lesson to learn here is that we must at all times obey contents of agreements freely entered into in order to avert crisis,” Elumelu said.
The lawmaker expressed displeasure over the unpatriotic attitude of the association towards the plight of the citizens in the face of the outbreak of Ebola virus and other life-threatening diseases that claimed the lives of several Nigerians during the strike period, while also noting that NMA acted contrary to the revered oath of the medical profession and the code of medical ethics (2004) for medical dental practitioners in Nigeria.
He said, “The leadership of NMA has been described as unpatriotic even by other Nigerian doctors as well as members of the public in view of various health challenges confronting the nation and the scourge of Ebola virus disease, which erupted during the strike period.”
“Patriotic Nigerians both home and abroad have passionately condemned the action of the current leadership of the NMA. Comments have been heard and read from various media platforms concerning the actions of the NMA president.”
