Anambra varsity doctors issue 7-day ultimatum over poor salaries

Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku-Awka in Anambra state has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Anambra state government for the payment of enhanced salaries to its members.

Chairman of the association, Dr. Chukwudi Okani, gave the warning in Awka on Wednesday at a press briefing after an emergency meeting of the group.

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The chairman said that the association would commence indefinite strike should government fail to heed the call.

Okani, flanked by some members of his association, expressed dismay that salaries received by medical consultants at Amaku were lower than salaries received by House officers in federal medical centres across the South-East zone.

“I have been a consultant for more than six years now, but you cannot believe that my salary here is not up to what a house officer receives in any of the federal medical centres in the South-East zone,” he said.

The union leader further said the seven-day ultimatum given is due to the inability of the state to implement the agreement it reached with the group after the suspension of the July 8 strike.

“After the suspension of July 8 strike, we agreed with the Anambra state government that salaries paid consultants at Amaku should be equal to that received by other consultants in teaching hospitals.

“We have other issues that we presented to government which made Gov. Willie Obiano to inaugurate a committee to investigate and submit its findings and recommendations to the government within one month,’’ he said.

Okani regretted that since the suspension of the strike, the committee has not submitted its report.

The immediate past Chairman of the association, Dr. Amaechi Nwachukwu, who also spoke at the briefing, called on the governor to intervene in the matter to avert possible collapse of services at the hospital.

“Medical consultants are in charge of patients in the teaching hospitals and if they should embark on indefinite strike, it means services will be seriously disrupted and people are bound to suffer immensely,’’ he said.

Nwachukwu explained that members of the group were not asking for increase in salaries, but merely asking for the payment of salaries paid consultants in other hospitals.