The face-off between the striking
doctors in Kogi State and the government has taken a new twist as the
government has reportedly procured the services of Youth Corps doctors.
This development according to
medical experts spells doom for the State health sector which has been under
threat due to prolonged industrial dispute between the government and doctors
in the State.
The Medical Doctors under the
state government have since January embarked on a strike action over half
salary payment and other issues regarding their welfare.
The Medical Doctors are also
insisting on the payment of their four months salary balance of 40%.
But rather than hearken to their
demands, the state government was accused by the Medical Doctors of procuring
the services of Corps Doctors who are allegedly lodged in one of the three Star
hotels in the state capital.
Furthermore, it was gathered
that, as an inducement, the Corps Doctors were allegedly paid N300,000 as
salaries up front for their services and paid daily stipends to augment their
feeding and transport cost.
A doctor who spoke under the
condition of anonymity said “it is unfortunate that doctors are passing through
this inhuman treatment from the government. The so-called corps doctors who
they claimed to have engaged have no requisite experience to handle critical
cases and even work under pressure.
“Using them as an alternative to
striking Medical Doctors is uncalled for and condemnable. The State Government
don’t want to bury their ego and come to a round table with doctors on how to resolve
the current impasse. For now while the two elephants fight, Kogi People are the
ones suffering it, as the State Specialist Hospital is now a ghost of its old
self.”
At the last count, some of the
medical doctors from the state are enmass moving to other neighbouring states
of Nasarawa, Niger, Borno and Zamfara States, where they are welcomed with
mouth watering incentives.
All efforts to speak with the
Commissioner for Health and other officials proved difficult. But a source in
the ministry described the allegation as an information coming from the pit of
hell.
However, a source in the Kogi
State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association confirmed this development.
“NMA could confirm to you that
the Kogi State Government has drafted the service of Corp Doctors to treat sick
patients in the state. But we don’t know the amount of money paid to them by
the government.
“This is rather unfortunate
because we never envisaged that this will be happening to our health system.
Doctors are ready to go back to work provided our demands are met. We are doing
this for the interest of the State health sector and our future generation,”
the source stated.
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