Striking Doctors Return To Work In Abia

Medical doctors in Abia State on Friday suspended their six months industrial action.

This they said is to enable the present administration of Dr Alex Otti to offset the backlog of unpaid salaries.

In a statement issued to journalists on Friday, the Chairman of the Abia Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Dr Isaiah Abali and the Secretary, Daniel Ekeleme, the doctors said they decided to extend an olive branch to the current government to look for a way of resolving the crisis.

“It is our expectation that the government would expedite action on payment of the salaries as promised to avert the ugly trend of the recent.

“The present state government led by Dr Alex Otti, at different fora has promised to offset all salary arrears owed doctors in Abia by Dec. 31.

“The promise to pay off these salaries was also emphasised by his Special Adviser on Health in a meeting with NMA Abia State Executive on Friday, June 2.

“The present governor in his inaugural speech through his Special Adviser on Health, has appealed to doctors to suspend the strike and go back to work, while giving him a benefit of doubt to pay off these salaries as promised.”

The chairman disclosed that the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Hospitals Management Board (HMB) and Ministry of Health were being owed 23, 16 and two months salary arrears, respectively.

He said that the immediate past administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu did not make any reasonable and acceptable commitment of paying the salaries.