Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has increased the salaries of medical doctors in the state by 5 per cent in the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS).
The Governor made the disclosure on Thursday when he received the National Secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Executives of the State Chapter of the union in Government House, Benin City.
Oshiomhole said, “I believe wages and payment of wages is a right and not a privilege. You dispense when you are comfortable and I want us to retain the best brains in our hospitals. I have argued in previous fora that our doctors are not inferior to any other doctor including those working for the Federal Government and therefore, there is ordinarily no reason why our doctors should earn N1 less than any other doctor of the same qualification in any other part of the country.
“Having done my home work today, it doesn’t matter what the implications are, we will increase the wages of Medical Doctors by 5% so it will go from 90% to 95%. My intention was that we will flatten it out, but I’m not sure of the numbers because the health sector accounts for a chunk of our wage bill as their pay is much more attractive than regular civil servants.
“So, right away, notwithstanding the challenges we face, we will grant 5% increase and I believe in the future, whatever is left will be leveled out.”
Oshiomhole continued, “Many of my colleagues, when they read that Comrade has further increased Edo Doctors pay by 5%, will think I am crazy. But I realize that I cannot eat my cake and have it.
“I want the best doctors, I want experienced Doctors, and I cannot keep them if there is so much disparity between their pay and the pay of other doctors in the country.
“When I look at the numbers and I find that I can pay even better, then I will, because what will be will be. I believe that wages must be competitive, even if we have a zero wage bill, it cannot deliver us from our present crisis. So I believe we should do what we have to do. We will try and effect that and see if it can be reflected in the salary of March.”
Speaking earlier, the National Secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Adewunmi Alayaki congratulated Oshiomhole his “gigantic strides of dynamic missionary and result oriented administration of Edo State.”
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