Obi neglected government hospitals for missionary’s – NMA

The chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Anambra State branch, Dr. Chika Nnoba has accused the former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi of neglecting government-owned hospitals in the state during his ternure.

He said the hospitals suffered gross neglect and abandonment as government paid more attention to faith-based hospitals to the detriment of general hospitals where the bills are affordable and accessible by low-income earners.

He said the Obi administration flagrantly refused to address the needs of government-owned hospitals, adding that medical doctors in the Anambra State civil service protested poor working conditions to no avail.

He stated that it was only mission hospitals that received up-grading during the immediate past administration in the state.

The state NMA chairman further disclosed that the Consolidated Salary Structures for doctors had been achieved 100 percent in some states of the federation but that Anambra State and few others were still paying below 50 percent.

“The immediate past governor promised to review doctors’ salaries up-wards but until his exit from office, the issue was laid to rest while doctors in the employ of the state government continued to bemoan their plight”, he said.

Dr. Nnoba, however, pointed out that doctors had met with the present state governor Dr. Willie Obiano, a veritable platform that offered ample opportunity for the doctors to vent their grievances as well as bring to the fore the pitiable conditions of government-owned hospitals in the state.

Speaking on the on-going doctors’ strike, the state NMA boss maintained that the doctors did not embark on the industrial action because they wanted upward review of their salaries and other incentives but against the abolition of the office of the Surgeon-General of the federation, amongst numerous other demands as contained in their 24-point demands from the government of the federation.

He said that the onus was on the leadership of the nation to look into the demands and strike a balance in order to safeguard the health of the citizenry as many were in dire need of their services across the country.

He said government should not compel doctors to go to work when their legitimate demands were not met.