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Members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Abia State chapter, have suspended their six-month-old strike following the intervention of the recently inaugurated administration in the state.
Chairman of the Abia chapter of NMA, Isaiah Abali, announced the suspension on Friday, in a communique he jointly signed with Daniel Ekeleme, the association’s secretary.
The state NMA embarked on strike on December 8, 2022, in protest against the perennial non-payment of their salaries.
The doctors in the communique said they decided to give grace to the current state government to look for a way to resolve the crisis.
“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 communique reads.
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‘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 the doubt to pay off these salaries as promised.’
The chairman said workers at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Hospitals Management Board (HMB) and the ministry of health were being owed 23, 16 and two months salary arrears respectively.
He added that the immediate past administration of Okezie Ikpeazu did not make any reasonable and acceptable commitment to paying the salaries.
