Okezie IkpeazuNational Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has said Abia State Government owes its members 16-month salary arrears.
The association stated that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu had asked the doctors to forfeit the 16-month salary arrears for him to start implementing the new minimum wage for doctors in the state.
The Publicity Secretary of NARD, Dr. Stanley Egbogu, disclosed this during an interview with PUNCH HealthWise while speaking on the just suspended strike embarked on by his association.
It would be recalled that members of NARD had, on Monday, September 7, embarked on an indefinite strike, protesting the failure of government to meet the demands they made in June, following a week-long strike action.
NARD then suspended the strike on Thursday to allow further negotiations with the Federal Government.
Read Also: Just In: Resident Doctors Suspend Nationwide Strike
While speaking on the conditions of health workers in Abia state, Egbogu said;
Abia State Government still owes doctors 16 months’ salary arrears.
The Government of Abia State, despite not paying medical doctors the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale, has been owing health workers.
Currently, the governor is asking them to forfeit the 16-month salaries for him to start implementing the new minimum wage for doctors.
He added;
There is no access road to Abia State University Teaching Hospital as we speak. No form of infrastructural development. The situation in ABSUTH seems to be the worst across the country.
It is really sad for Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to treat doctors this way, despite seeing the importance of health when he suffered coronavirus disease.
However, Abia State Commissioner for Information, John Okiyi-Kalu, has said NARD’s claim is false.
Okiyi-Kalu said;
ABIA STATE GOVERNMENT NEVER, AT ANY TIME, ASKED ANY WORKER TO FORFEIT ANY EARNED WAGE FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER. IT WILL BE ILLEGAL AND MORALLY WRONG TO DO SO AND GOVERNOR OKEZIE IKPEAZU DID NOT AT ANY TIME GIVE SUCH DIRECTIVE.
The spokesperson expressed;
All workers in Abia State Ministries, Departments and Agencies who are directly paid by the state government have been receiving the new minimum wage since January 2020 and they do not have even one month in arrears.
They have long received August 2020 salary and we are in early September.
He argued;
With regard to resident doctors working with the state teaching hospital, they are already on CONMESS, [Consolidated Medical Salary Structure]
which is above minimum wage and nobody asked them to forfeit any earned wage.
