Osun doctors protest half salary, blame poor health facility for Adeleke’s death

Medical doctors in Osun State on Tuesday took to the street to express their displeasure over the poor condition of health centers in the state and non-payment of their salary arrears.

The doctors commenced the protest from Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH) to the popular Ola Iya junction and later to the palace of Aja- Oja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun.

They displayed placards with differwnt inscriptions on them. Among the inscriptions were ‘Stop this Genocide against doctors’, ‘Half Salaries are illegal’, ‘Paris Fund out to Make a Difference’, ‘Enough is Enough’, ‘Osun Doctors say no to Obnoxious Taxation’, ‘Save Osun State from Doctors’ Brain Drain’, and ‘Fractionated Salary Ko Le Work’.

While addressing journalists, the Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Osun branch, Dr. Tokunbo Olajumoke, said Senator Isiaka Adeleke might have been rescued if there was a standard General Hospital in Ede town, where the first civilian Governor of the State died.

He said, “The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is deeply concerned about the continued decadence in the health sector and the poor treatment of health workers in Osun State, hence the urgent need to bring to the public notice this worrisome and unimaginable handling of the sector and the health care givers by the state government.

“Despite the enthusiasm of our members in the state to render health care services when the conditions of service delivery in our hospitals have gone from bad to worse, the government of Osun Sate have consistently incapacitated health workers by her vicious and unscrupulous remuneration policies.

“We had a protest last month but there was no response or discussion. The Government said it has spent N10 billion on health sector which is a lie.

If you go to any of our hospitals, the best you can get is paracetamol. Our salary has been mutilated and doctors cannot do half work, doctors should be treated differently in the State and paid full salary.

“When our affiliates were on strike last year, well meaning Nigerians appealed to them and they resumed work but eight months now and their salaries have still not been paid. Government is still withholding their salary.

“We ought to have started strike but for our teeming love for our patients. If this doesn’t work, there are others strategies still coming up. Government should improve the health sector. The masses are dying.

“Why didn’t they take the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke to the general hospital in Ede, that is not even far from his house? It because they knew there was noting there and they had to bring him to Osogbo. The late Senator just dead cheaply.

“There is this new revised CONMESS which has stipulated the salary and taxation fee for doctors but instead of the State Government to follow the salary guideline, they rather stick to the taxation aspect.

Why should we be fully taxed when we are still collecting half salary? We implore well meaning Nigerians to intervene if not, there will be total collapse in the State of Osun.”

While at the palace of the AtaOja of Osogbo, the State capital of Osun State, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, commended the doctors for their patience and promised that steps would be taken in respect of their demands.

Reacting to the development, the new commissioner for Information and Strategies, Mr Lami Baderinwa, said government was looking into the matter, adding that there was never a time that their case was not taken into consideration.

He said doctors should have patience like their counterparts in the civil service and that the Ministry of Finance in the State was working on the payment of their outstanding salaries.

“Very soon, they would have cause to smile,” he added.