The National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), an affiliate of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kwara State Branch, has served the Kwara State Government a notice of withdrawal of service over what the body described as a series of unfulfilled promises by the government.

The body gave the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led administration 21 days to address its lists of requests or face immediate strike action from its members.

This was contained in a press statement made available to i-News Nigeria by the Secretary of NAGGMDP, Dr. Saliu O. Olomooba.

The Association reminded the state executive arm of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the body and the government, which promised a detailed payment of 100% CONMESS.

Until now, the association said the Kwara State Government has not honoured its commitments to the body despite several meetings being held before the 2023 general elections, where the Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led government reiterated its pledge to implement 100% CONMESS vis-à-vis commitment to healthcare workers’ welfare.

NAGGMDP explained how it has shelved its planned industrial action in good faith.

It added that what it got from the Kwara State Government were temporary measures that have since been eroded by the harsh reality of the Nigerian economy and promises that have since been reneged upon.

“Recently, the Federal Government’s decision to remove the subsidy on petrol has exponentially exacerbated the problems faced by our members. As a result, more of our members are planning to leave the service if the government fails to empathize with our plight and respond with commensurate remuneration that justifies their highly-priced professional service. The statement said.

Some of the demands of NAGGMDP are: implementation of 100% 2019 revised CONMESS as approved by the Salary, Income, and Wages Commission, which has been implemented all over the country; implementation of the newly approved Hazard Allowance; recruitment of Medical Officers in addition to constant replacement of those who have resigned; prompt implementation of promotion, among others.

NAGGMDP threatened to embark on an indefinite strike action if their demands were not met within the next 21 days.

“We hope the government and its relevant ministries will do the needful to avoid unnecessary disruption of health care services across the state and, consequently, the toll it might take on the general populace of the state.” The statement concluded.