The Nigerian Medical Association has given the Federal Government till January 31, 2024, to meet its demands or risk industrial action in the health sector.
The President of the NMA, Uche Ojinmah, who issued the ultimatum at a press briefing after the association’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Sunday, asked the government to implement the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure.
Ojinmah stated that the association cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the ultimatum if the government fails to meet its demands.
He also urged the government to implement the newly approved accruement allowance with arrears from June 2022.
According to him, the association does not have a direction about when all the allowances would be implemented despite its approval on June 1, 2023.
On July 28, the government approved the payment of N25,000 of peculiar allowance for medical doctors and dentists in hospitals, medical centres, and clinics in the federal public service.
But Ojinmah said while the association was grateful that the government had taken a step regarding one of its agreements, it awaited the full implementation of the agreements they had.
“For now, while we are grateful, they have started doing the right thing, we look forward to their doing it completely, agreement should be agreement as we had with the last administration. It was meant to take effect from January 2023.
“The agreement is that every increment is for salary and allowances but what we have seen is salary. So, we are waiting for allowances, by next week, we will put out our position,” Ojinmah explained.
