FG SHUNS ASUU, BEGINS PLAN TO ADJUST SALARY STRUCTURE OF DOCTORS, HEALTH WORKERS 

The Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has pledged proactive measures to forestall strikes by doctors and other health workers by reviewing the salary structures of medical doctors under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Structure.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige during a courtesy visit on him by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) on Thursday, November 24, 2022, in Abuja.

The NMA was led by its President , Dr. Uche Ojinmah; Secretary Jude Onyekwere as well as the President of Nigerian Association Medical and Dental Academics( NAMDA) Nosa Orhue among others.

During the meeting, the NMA President catalogued the challenges facing doctors, especially the review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

In a statement at the end of the meeting by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Olajide Osundun, the NMA President said: “It is sad to tell you that the most pressing challenge facing Nigerian doctors is the review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure which has been overdue by eight years. We wrote to our parent ministry of Health on June 5 , 2022, seeking for a meeting , just as other previous national officers of NMA have written since 2014 for the same issue and without result.

“Recall that it is the 2009 Agreement that yielded CONMESS and we agreed with the government that it would be reviewed in five years and that five years was up in 2014 and this 2022. Nothing has been done about this. We wrote in June to the Ministry of Health to ask for a discussion over this. The meetings they convened were all structured to fail.”

He regretted the inability of the officials of the Ministry of Health to resolve the lingering issue and therefore appealed to the Minister of Labour to take over the matter and ensure its speedy resolution before the general assembly of the NMA scheduled for the 11th December, 2022.

Commending the Minister for the registration of the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) which he said “has come to stay and heartily welcome by the NMA,” the association also urged the Minister to help maintain industrial harmony in the essential services where the NMA has jurisdiction.