By Haruna Gimba
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) said the non-payment of workers’ salary in some states in the country has worsened the health condition of many Nigerians.
NMA spoke in a communique issued at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Enugu.
In the communique, read by its President, Professor Mike Ogirima, NMA asked the Federal Government, to as a matter of urgency, provide special bail-out funds for workers’ salaries and prevail on state governments to pay them as at when due.
“The continuous handling with levity, of workers’ salaries by some state governors, is worsening the health of Nigerians which depend on out of pocket payments and also causes internal and external brain drain, thus undermining the training and quality of service rendered by health professionals,” NMA said.
Professor Ogirima added that the earlier bail-out given to the states by the federal government was mismanaged.
He said the medical body was canvassing another salary bail-out for the states by virtue of its role as the ‘custodian’ of the people’s health.
“NMA and all Nigerians are aware that some governors received but diverted the bail-out funds even when the workers are being owed.
“NMA as the custodian of the people’s health is urging the federal government to do the needful because indices we are getting about the health implications of the non-payment of workers’ salaries on people’s health is worrisome,” Ogirima said.
NMA also demanded the full implementation of the provisions of the National Health Act, 2014, and expanded access of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The association noted that failure to fully implement the law has undermined the aspirations of ordinary Nigerians for better healthcare delivery.
