Medical Doctors in Kogi State, under the aegis of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) and the National Association of General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), have raised serious concerns over poor remuneration and lack of promotions.
This, they said, has been major factor contributing to the mass exodus of healthcare professionals.
In a statement jointly signed by NAGGMDP Chairman, Dr Olukoya Taiwo, ARD President, Kogi State Specialist Hospital (KSSH), Dr David Omeiza, and ARD President of Prince Abubakar Audu University Teaching Hospital (PAAUTH), Dr Aikoye Daniel, the doctors stressed that the welfare of doctors must be prioritised to achieve better health indicators.
“A more robust good health indicators can be achieved if the welfare of her members is adequately taken care of. This will translate into making the state a destination for health tourism,” the associations stated in Lokoja on Thursday.
According to them, doctors in Kogi face several challenges, including partial implementation of the 2024 CONMESS, lack of cash backing for previous promotions, and no annual increments.
The associations further stressed that despite the government’s blank approval of CONMESS 2024 in November 2024, the 100 percent implementation remained a mirage.
They however, decried the absence of cash backing for previous promotions for their members, leading to members stagnated on the same salary for more than eight years.
Additionally, they lamented a notable decrease in the number of doctors actively practicing due to poor remuneration.
The associations further urged the governor Ahmed Ododo to intervene and address these issues, which they believe would, improve the welfare of doctors and attract more medical professionals to the state.
“We believe the chief servant of Kogi State, who is also a welfare-oriented governor, will give necessary attention to these outcries,” the associations stated.
However, the doctors acknowledged that Kogi State Health Insurance Scheme and other initiatives has led to an influx of patients to hospitals.
They also appreciated governor for his unwavering efforts in repositioning the health sector, especially in the areas of infrastructure and Health insurance scheme which has benefitted the masses,
They further pointed out that these programmes would not yield optimal results without addressing the challenges faced by doctors, and appealed to the governor to examine the issues and address them promptly to improve the healthcare sector in the state.
