Ondo NMA Decries Exodus of Doctors, Tasks Akeredolu on Regular Payment of Salaries

Fidelis David in Akure

The Ondo State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) yesterday decried the mass exodus of doctors in the state over alleged irregular payment of salary and conditions of service for health workers in the state.

The Chairman of the state NMA, Dr. Stella Adegbehingbe, who spoke at the inauguration of a medical clinic built by the association located at Ilekun Housing Estate in Akure, the state capital, cited irregular payment of the salaries of medical doctors as the reason for the poor state of the health sector in the state.

The NMA chairman said: “Our welfare has been very challenging because as we speak, the last salary we collected was in March 2022. The 2021 one month backlog of salary is still there. So, this has caused a lot of hardship for our members and it has caused lots of them to leave the state.

“It is even affecting employment in the state. When you want to employ somebody and he asked about the salary, and he hears that the last salary was paid in March and we are in July, such person will be discouraged.

“This has been impacting negatively on our health sector. The health sector in Ondo State is going down rapidly. There has been shortage of manpower because of this issue too.”

She appealed to the state government to prioritise the welfare of health workers in the state to avoid exodus of health workers.

While speaking on the project, she said the clinic was part of its Corporate Social Responsibility and part of its efforts to contribute its quota to the development of the state.

The state NMA boss said: “We found out that there was no clinic in this community which is far from the main town. The foundation laying was done 11 years ago by the then executives and subsequent executives contributed their quota. We have been doing it with our money. So, when we came on board, we felt the clinic was in advanced stage, despite irregularities in our salary, let us try and complete the project because the place is far from the main town and the road is bad. No doubt, this project will go a long way in helping the people of the community.

“We are going to start with outpatients. It is easier to manage, and we can easily treat them and write their medications.”

Meanwhile, the state Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), explained that the government cannot do it alone, soliciting the cooperation of doctors and other health workers in the  state, as they could not afford to fail in the expectation of quality service delivery.

Akeredolu, represented by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Awolowo Ajaka, said: “The state government is doing everything possible to ensure that the welfare of healthcare workers are taken care of.”

He called on doctors in the state to assist the present administration in achieving laudable programmes, as the government could not do it alone.

Also, the Olu of Ilekun, Oba Banjamin Olufemi, thanked the association for the gesture, nothing that the clinic will complement the basic health centre in the community.