Kaduna NMA demands equity in doctors’ salary

From Mohammed Ibrahim Kaduna

Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Kaduna state branch Chairman, Dr. Shehu Abdulrahman on Monday said doctors in the state are paid lower than their federal counterparts.
The doctors therefore urged Governor Nasir El-Rufai to correct the perpetual shortfall in their salaries.
The NMA chairman disclosed this to journalists in Kaduna ahead of 2018 health week.
The theme of the health week is ‘Road map to universal health coverage: the journey so far.
According to him, the salary shortfalls favored internal brain drain to federal institutions as well as neighboring states.
“Recently, there was Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the state government where it pledged to correct the salary anomaly by January 2018 but seven months into the year, the situation is still the same.
“Kaduna state is home to over 2,000 licensed practicing physicians who work both in the public and private sectors.
“Out of this, only about 12 percent are in the employment of the state government; hence all efforts at attaining universal health coverage must be put into consideration.
“There must be readiness to collaborate with the private sector which has the largest group of physicians in the state,” Dr Abdulrahman said.
He appealed to the state government to fulfill its part of the agreements reached in the MOU.
The association will tomorrow begin medical screening and treatment on diabetes and hypertension for Corp Marshals of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC as part of activities slated for the health week.
The doctors added that the theme of the scientific conference, was carefully selected to illustrate the national situation and narrow it down to Kaduna state following the passage and signing into law of the State Health Insurance Act.