The Director, Strategic Engagement, Abia State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, yesterday, called on the people of the state to demand a factual response from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on the lingering dispute between doctors and the state government.  

Okiyi-Kalu, who was speaking on the demand by doctors under the Hospital Management Board (HMB) to be paid 13 months arrears and 22 months arrears by doctors working with Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), said that facts have shown that since the inception of the Dr Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration in 2015, medical doctors have been on strike for 35 months.

He questioned the moral right the doctors have to demand such payments when facts and figures at the disposal of the government, which according to him, were listed undisputably by the state Commissioner for Information, Eze Chikamnayo, showed that they do not merit what they were demanding. 

Okiyi-Kalu urged citizens to eschew all forms of political gimmicks and question some abnormalities that are causing the conflict in the Abia health sector.

“Naturally, because of the important role played by medical doctors in the health management chain, it is expected that popular sentiments will be in support of the striking doctors against the government. More so, when arrowheads of the strike timed it to coincide with the forthcoming general elections that some desperate opposition politicians are ready to attempt to win by hook or crook. 

“But the question to ask is, if those medical doctors actually worked for the months that they are demanding payment of arrears for, or should pay the government and people of Abia State for receiving more salary than they have worked for.”

Okiyi-Kalu said that the root of the current wage management challenge in HMB and ABSUTH is traceable to 2015, disclosing that he witnessed a meeting between Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who was new in office, the management and union leaders from ABSUTH, at the Government House, in Umuahia. 

According to him, the doctors called the meeting to stave off a planned strike action and the crux of their presentation to the governor was simply that he should pay off the arrears of salary owed them, and thenceforth make revenue to fund their regular salary payment. 

Okiyi-Kalu said that they also requested support with more modern equipment for their operations and later in the life of the administration asked for ABSUTH road to be fixed, which according to him were all granted by the governor. 

“Governor Okezie Ikpeazu went ahead to pay them 11 months salary arrears in one tranche that same year. For those medical doctors earning N500,000 per month, they received an alert of N5, 500,000.00 in one day. 

“Two months after receiving the jumbo alert, the management of ABSUTH and some of the union leaders returned to the governor to plead that they be given subventions to continue paying salary while they adjust operationally to build on their IGR to commence running independently. Ikpeazu obliged them again.

“Interestingly, shortly after the jumbo pay by the government, many of those medical doctors invested the money on improving their private clinics or renting and equipping new clinics. And as they ensured that their personal businesses were booming, ABSUTH’s fortunes continued to depreciate.”

Okiyi-Kalu said that the painful part of the whole thing was that despite the governor’s earlier efforts, privates clinics were booming and rather than generate more revenue to, at least pay themselves, their IGR continued to dwindle from what it was in 2015 till date, racking up 35 months of strike without work. “Yet they are making demands that the government must pay them for those months they were on strike.”

He, however, alleged that there is a political undertone in what the NMA and HMB were doing currently saying, “I personally do not want to engage in issues of political motivation for labour recalcitrance at this time, even though I can personally attest to at least three executive members of Abia NMA attending a political rally in Aba organised by an opposition party. 

“I simply want to invite Abians to dispassionately discuss this issue of taking a salary for work not done and still demanding more while at the same time strengthening the private clinic.”