NMA Laments Chronic Manpower Shortage in Katsina

•Mulls industrial action

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Katsina State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed concern over what it termed the chronic manpower shortage and infrastructural decay in the state.

The Chairman of the Association, Dr. Adamu Saminu Adamu, in a communique he read after the regular State Executive Council (SEC) meeting held in Katsina, decried the hardship faced by health workers in the state.

He enumerated lack of equipment, poor remuneration, meagre amount of N5,000 as hazard allowance, lack of residency training programmes and zero retention policy as factors militating against the health sector in the state.

Five years ago, he said, the state-owned hospitals accredited by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) trained 75 House officers, “but can barely count on 10 house officers today.”

Adamu added that: “It is no longer news that the Katsina State Government has less than 100 doctors currently working on the ground. Brain drain, poor remuneration, lack of residency training, nil retention policy and poor information among political leaders ensure these shortages of manpower are chronic and persistent.

“This fall in standard and neglect is the last straw for NMA Katsina and its declared unacceptable and highly under-serving of the good people of Katsina State. We can no longer sit idly by and allow such inattention to healthcare service delivery to continue.”

Adamu said the association has given the state government a two-week ultimatum to address all its challenges or face industrial action.

He explained that failure by the government to respond to their concerns within the 14-day ultimatum, the association would embark on a five-day warning strike to press home their demands.

He said: “The Nigerian Medical Association Katsina State branch hereby gives an ultimatum of 14 days following which a five-day warning strike will be undertaken by all its members across, local government, state and federal government hospitals, including private hospitals.”