The Zamfara State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has issued a one-week ultimatum to the state government to settle four months’ salary arrears of 17 medical doctors among other practitioners at the Yarima Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, or face industrial action.
The State NMA Chairman, Dr Sanusi Bello, who addressed journalists on Monday in Gusau, the state capital, also cited the July 2023 salaries of all medical doctors at the hospital, and eight months’ allowances to visiting consultants and professors, which resulted in the withdrawal of services of some of the consultants.
Bello said the association had resolved to issue a one-week ultimatum to the Government of Zamfara State to address the demands.
He added that the NMA in Zamfara would proceed on a total and indefinite strike action from Monday, September 4, 2023, if the government failed to address their demands.
The NMA chairman warned that the measure would lead to a total closure of all hospitals including federal hospitals, state hospitals, and private hospitals, in addition to the withdrawal of all medical and dental services by all medical doctors in Zamfara State.
Bello noted that the NMA had sat at the table with the state’s deputy governor, Mani Mumuni, to discuss the affected industrial issues with no positive result.
The NMA called on the government to prioritize the medical workers’ welfare to avoid brain drain.
