Ondo doctors, Govt disagree over part salary payment

The Editor Nigeria reports that Doctors in Ondo State, under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association, have condemned the statement allegedly credited to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on refusal of the members of the association to receive the percentage salaries offered them by the government.

The governor, during a media chat recently, was said to have criticised the doctors for rejecting the percentage salary payment when other workers had received the payment.

Akeredolu reportedly said, “Doctors in the state should not try to say they won’t collect salary percentage as agreed at the labour meeting. They shouldn’t try this again.

“We are not fearful; we are ready for them. They are not different from teachers, lawyers, journalists and other categories in the state. All of them have students going to school like doctors. People should help us talk to them.”

However, in a statement by the state NMA chairman, Dr Stella Adegbehingbe, and the secretary, Dr Olorunfemi Owa, on Friday, the association said it was improper for the governor to blame them for asking for the full payment of their salaries.

The group also urged the governor to treat doctors with the due respect they deserved.

The statement read in part, “This self-restraint is in the face of obvious provocation, as contained in his many statements, which we find disparaging, dehumanising and condescending to our noble profession made on tape at an interview session on June 3, 2021.

“Ours is an enviable profession, with a revered responsibility to cater for the needs of a mostly voiceless populace, who are often vulnerable and defenceless. We are medical doctors. We genuinely care.

“The immediate need for this press release was precipitated by Mr Governor’s outburst seeking to know whether ‘doctors have two heads’ to be asking that they be paid their 100 per cent salary. It is rather unfortunate that Mr Governor, who was voted for, is outraged that we had the audacity to request our dues from his administration.

“He is apparently of the view that since he sporadically pays less than 100 per cent of monthly salaries to other workers, we should meekly accept less than 100 per cent of our hard-earned salaries from his administration. Mr Governor chose to vilify doctors for asking him to ensure that he meets contractual obligations freely entered into by the state government.”