Abia Doctors Suspend Indefinite Strike Started Under Ikpeazu

Medical doctors in Abia State on Friday ended their indefinite strike over months of unpaid salary arrears owed to them by the immediate past administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in the service of the state government.

The strike, which began last year while Ikpeazu was still in office, lingered without the government bowing to the doctors’ demands.

The suspension was announced in a communiqué issued at the Nigeria Medical Association’s (NMA’s) emergency general meeting held on Friday in Umuahia.

In the communique signed by the NMA Chairman, Dr. Isaiah Abali, and the Secretary, Daniel Ekeleme, the association said that the suspension was as a result of open discussions with the state’s current administration, which has demonstrated willingness to pay arrears of salaries.

According to NMA, Governor Alex Otti urged doctors to call off their strike and return to work in his inaugural speech and through his Special Adviser on Health.

The association said it is giving the governor the benefit of doubt that he would pay off the salaries as promised.

The statement read in part, “Following a robust deliberation on the observations mentioned above, NMA Abia State Executive Council, hereby declares the suspension of the total and indefinite strike with effect from Friday, June 9th, 2023.

” By this, all doctors in private, state and federal employ in Abia State should resume work.

” This is to enable the present administration to work and offset the lingering salary arrears.

“With this olive branch extended to the Abia State Government irrespective of the hardship being experienced by doctors under Abia State employ, it is our expectation that the Government would expedite action on payment of the salaries as promised to avert the ugly trend of the recent past”.

The Hospitals Management Board (HMB), the Ministry of Health, and the doctors at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) are each owed 23, 16, and 2 months’ worth of unpaid salary arears according to NMA.

NMA also said that the immediate past administration did not make any reasonable and acceptable commitment to the course of paying the salaries.

It revealed that” the present State Government led by His Excellency Dr Alex Otti, at different fora, promised to offset all salaries owed doctors in Abia State by 31st December 2023.”

“That this promise to pay off these salaries was also emphasized by his Special Adviser on Health in a meeting with NMA Abia State Executives on Friday 2nd June 2023.”