Physicians in Nasarawa starts a five-day warning strike.

Following the state government’s refusal to accede to its requests, the Nigeria Medical Association branch in Nasarawa State has announced a five-day warning strike.

The strike, according to the state’s NMA, will start at 8 a.m. on July 5 and terminate at 8 a.m. on July 10, 2023.

The group previously gave the administration of Nasarawa State a 21-day strike deadline to accede to its demands or risk industrial unrest.

The state’s NMA bemoaned the failure to implement promotion for doctors and annual salary increases, the minimum wage and consequential adjustments, the reviewed hazard allowance and the accrued 17 months in arrears, insufficient staffing and excessive workload for physicians, the high tax burden on physicians, and the failure to pay for medical residency training funds.

Dr. Peter Attah, the state chairman of NMA, stated during a news conference on Wednesday in Lafia that the association’s meeting on Tuesday in the state capital had decided to go forward with the five-day warning strike.

He asserted that doctors and other medical professionals in the state were suffering as a result of the state government’s inadequate welfare packages, accusing it of not being serious about addressing the needs of association members.

“The state government did not show seriousness to meet our demands and we have been patient enough on the matter. So, after 21 days’ notice, we have decided to embark on a five days warning strike which is starting today. We will resume work next week Monday, July 10, to take further decisions on the matter if the government fails to meet our demands before the said date.

“The strike action was unanimously decided by our members, so a monitoring team will be going around to check the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, and other 19 General Hospitals across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state, and any NMA member who defaults, will face the disciplinary committee of the association,” Dr. Attah added.