Lagos Doctors Threaten Showdown Over Unpaid Allowance

The Medical Guild of Lagos State has urged the government to promptly implement the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure allowance (Doctors' living wage) or face potential crisis.

The Medical Guild is an association of doctors in Lagos State employment.

A statement signed by the Chairman, Medical Guild, Dr Moruf Abdulsalam, on Wednesday, said CONMESS was implemented for their federal counterparts with its accrued arrears from July 2023.

“The non-payment of the reviewed CONMESS allowance has already been implemented for our federal colleagues and in the states of Ekiti, Delta, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Katsina. This has worsened the salary parity between doctors in Lagos State and aggravated the already dire emigration of doctors to federal employment and out of the country.

“Moreover, the current economic starvation and stagflation in the country are biting harder on doctors too,” he said.

The guild also requested the demotion of specialist consultants as a result of incorrect step entry points into the public service, saying this had led to loss of income, low morale, and lack of interest from prospective specialists in joining the state health service.

“We seek employment of Medical Officers on grade level 12/2 and consultants at grade level 15/4 in line with national best practices. Immediate restoration and payment of contributory pension/NHF deductions for our resident doctors as enshrined in the Pension Reform Act of 2014. Full implementation of the September ‘23 Medical Guild position paper, as discussed and assented to by the government of Lagos State,” he stated.

Abdulsalam appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to avert an avoidable grand landscape crisis in the health sector and urgently implement the above-proposed incentives for the Health sector of Lagos State.

“In the build-up to the disputed issues with the government, we would like to place on record that we have and continue to employ all manners of advocacy and constructive persuasion, to avert this looming crisis. The government is yet to bulge. In the coming days, we shall call on the Association’s Congress to determine the next line of action, ” he added.