Doctors in the employment of the Kogi State Civil Service, have raised concerns over the poor working conditions and welfare of doctors in the state.
The doctors raised the concerns in a statement on Thursday in Lokoja, under associations: the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) and the National Association of General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP).
The statement was jointly signed by Dr. Olukoya Taiwo, NAGGMDP Chairman; Dr. David Omeiza, ARD President, Kogi State Specialist Hospital (KSSH); and Dr. Aikoye Daniel – ARD President of PAAUTH.
The associations appreciated Governor Ahmed Ododo for his unwavering efforts in repositioning the health sector, especially in the areas of infrastructure and Health insurance scheme which has benefitted the masses.
The associations, however noted that the welfare of doctors must be prioritised to achieve better health indicators.
“A more robust good health indicators can be achieved if the welfare of her members are adequately taken care of.
“This will translate into making the state a destination for health tourism,” the associations stated.
According to the associations, doctors in Kogi State face several challenges, including partial implementation of the 2024 CONMESS, lack of cash backing for previous promotions, and no annual increments.
The associations stressed that despite the Government blank approval of Conmess 2024 in November last year, the 100 per cent implementation remains a mirage.
They decried the absence of cashbacking of previous promotions for their members, leading to members stagnated on the same salary for more than eight (8) years.
The groups also lamented a notable decrease in the number of doctors actively practicing due to poor remuneration.
The associations are urging Governor Ododo to intervene and address these issues, which they believe will improve the welfare of doctors and attract more medical professionals to the state.
“We believe the chief servant of Kogi State, who is also a welfare-oriented Governor, will give necessary attention to these outcries,” the associations stated.
The unions acknowledged that Kogi State Health Insurance Scheme and other initiatives have led to an influx of patients to hospitals.
The associations, however noted that these programs will not yield optimal results without addressing the challenges faced by doctors.
The associations, therefore appealed to the Governor to examine the issues and address them promptly to improve the healthcare sector in Kogi State.