A battle line seems to have been drawn by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye, over the on-going industrial action embarked by the former.
While the commissioner admonished NMA to be reasonable when making and presenting demands to the government, the NMA alleged that the state government refused to implement the Special COVID-19 Hazard Allowance for health workers despite that Delta is one of the Coronavirus most infected states in Nigeria.
During a meeting in his office with representatives of the NMA to resolve the logjam, Ononye said the state government engaged the association in discussions with a view to resolving the impasse and creating a strike-free environment in the state.
He affirmed that the state was implementing one of the best payment policies for frontline workers at the COVID-19 treatment centres, said the state government had also gone ahead to insure 2,557 medical and health workers across the state.
He said as part of its magnanimity to the health workers, the government exempted them from the current salary cut, saying, “Exempting doctors from salary cut is part of sacrifice by government.”
According to the commissioner, it was worrisome that the agitation was not from doctors at the treatment centres, but those not working there.
Ononye explained that at the beginning of the pandemic in the state, people were scared to work at the treatment centres, “Even to the extent that husbands whose wives were nurses, did not allow them to work because they were scared of Coronavirus infection.”
He, however, added that despite the fear, some workers dedicated themselves, made sacrifices to come out and save lives and the government reciprocated by treating them well.
But, Dr. Ekeaneam Omo, Chairman, NMA, Delta State chapter, lamented that many of his members had tested positive to the virus while in the line of duty, saying other states had implemented the allowance.
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“The Federal Government had earlier entered into an agreement with doctors in the country as contained in a Special COVID-19 Incentive, which entailed an upward review of doctors’ hazard allowance as a result of COVID-19. Just last two weeks, Delta NMA lost one of her foremost colleagues among others to this ugly monster.”
He explained that they had been interfacing with government to have the agreement domesticated in Delta State, saying that doctors working in the state also face the same level of hazards as their colleagues working at the treatment centres.
On his part, Dr. Daniel Sodje, President, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara chapter, corroborated his colleague on the risk factor.
He said doctors outside the treatment centres were more exposed to COVID-19 than their colleagues at the treatment centres, arguing that those at treatment centres were well protected against the disease and submitted that those outside the centres should also benefit from the upward review of hazard allowance.
He said they were open to discussions with the government on what they could pay based on the prevailing economic situation, adding, “If it satisfies our members it’s well and good but if not they will continue to negotiate.”
The warning strike is in protest to pressurising the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa led-administration to implement the scheme because of the risk posed by COVID-19 to health workers attending to patients.
It was gathered that aside from doctors attending to COVID-19 patients, doctors in the state had fully complied with the directive by downing tools.
Some of the grievances which were COVID-19-related, included the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and lack of funding of tertiary institutions needed to manage and curtail the ravaging pandemic.
