Resident doctors in Yobe State have threatened to embark on industrial action over the state government’s failure to approve and implement some allowances.
The threat was issued following the Federal Government’s approval, through the National Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission, of new hazard allowances and revised CONMESS and other allowances for medical doctors.
The aggrieved doctors said while healthcare workers in other states and federal facilities have received the updated remuneration, including arrears, theirs remain unpaid.
Several doctors from the Yobe State Association of Resident Doctors who pleaded anonymity expressed their frustration, with some threatening to leave the association if nothing is being done to address the issue.
“We were told to be patient, but now many doctors can’t even afford fuel for their cars to return home after long shifts,” one of them said.
The chairman of the association, Dr Umar Ahmad Aliyu, confirmed the ongoing struggle for allowance implementation.
“Governor Mai Mala Buni has strengthened the healthcare system, but the unresolved issue of hazard allowances and reviewed CONMESS is causing significant distress,” he said.
Reacting to the development, the Yobe State Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Dr Muhammad Lawan Gana, said: “The government is in the process of addressing these needs, and all unions have been involved in the information collation. We are committed to the welfare of healthcare workers and are working towards meeting these commitments.”
The doctors’ call for payment of their entitlements and allowances came amidst public health challenges like the outbreaks of meningitis and diphtheria in the state.