By Alltimepost.com
Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has described as fraudulent the attitudes of some medical doctors who desert their places of work at government hospital only to be found working in their own private clinics during the same period and called on the Nigerian Medical Association to address such breach of professional ethics.
By such practices, he said the government gets less service from these doctors than for what they are paid.
The Governor made the remarks last Thursday while announcing a 5% increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) of medical doctors in the state during a visit by the National Secretary General of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Executives of the State Chapter of the union to Government House, Benin City.
“it is true we could do with more doctors, but it is even more embarrassing that the few we have are not giving us all the time for which they are paid; “these are serious ethical issues that NMA have to address; it is happening in Edo, I believe it is happening in other parts of the country and those practices have to be addressed,” he insisted.
“These practices are on. Even today, if I were to go with you to pay a random visit to some of our hospitals across the state, you will be embarrassed to see that the doctors who are supposed to be on duty now would most likely be in their private clinics.”
A situation like that he said, given the present fiscal realities, presents the challenges to get doctors to work for their money before employing more hands, saying that doctors should put in as much work as they are paid.
He expressed his belief in wages and payment of wages as a right and not a privilege that is dispensed when comfortable, adding: 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,” Oshiomhole said.
According to him he took the decision irrespective of the current challenges faced by the administration, adding that his desire to hire and retain the best doctors was the hallmark of such decision.
“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,” he noted.
“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.”
Earlier in his speech, the National Secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Adewunmi Alayaki congratulated the Governor on what he described as the gigantic strides of his dynamic missionary and result-oriented administration.
“We must acknowledge that you have touched the lives of the good people of Edo State and we are sure that posterity will be kind to you,” he said.
He expressed appreciation over government’s efforts to fully equip the Stella Obasanjo Hospital with modern facilities and the Ultra-Modern 5-Star Central Hospital just constructed in the state capital.
“We believe that when these projects are fully functional, Edo State will greatly benefit from medical tourism as there will be no need for people to travel abroad for medical care.”
Dr. Alayaki assured the Governor of his association’s desire to assist the administration with a highly motivated, highly skilled manpower to achieve his noble objectives.
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