By Peter Dada
Medical doctors in Ondo State, under the Nigeria Medical Association, have issued an eight-day ultimatum to the state government to address outstanding allowances and welfare concerns affecting their members.
The doctors are demanding the implementation of two Federal Government circulars on salary adjustments and accoutrement allowances, as well as the payment of arrears and other outstanding entitlements.
In a statement made available on Monday, the Chairman of the Ondo NMA, Dr Muyiwa Alonge, said the government had failed to implement the circulars despite similar compliance in other states.
He listed the circulars as SWC/S/04/S.218/IV/876 of 19th November 2025 on consequential salary adjustment, and SWC/S/04/S.218/III/572 of 26th July 2025 on accoutrement allowance.
“These are not new requests. They are our entitlements. Our colleagues at the federal level and in many other states have been enjoying these benefits for almost a year,” the statement read.
Alonge also lamented the non-payment of 2024 promotion arrears and the shortage of manpower in the state’s health sector, which he attributed to the ongoing “japa syndrome”.
According to him, the situation has left remaining doctors overworked, demoralised, and operating under poor conditions, often with obsolete or unavailable equipment.
“Because of the ‘japa syndrome’, too many doctors have left the system. Those of us remaining now do the work of five people. Doctors in state service no longer have a life of their own,” he said.
The state NMA chairman added that repeated efforts to engage the government, including meetings, letters dated 24 November 2025, 2 December 2025, and 8 January 2026, and the submission of a position paper, had not yielded positive results.
The association called for the immediate implementation of salary adjustments and payment of arrears from the effective date, prompt payment of accoutrement allowance, clearance of outstanding 2024 promotion allowances, and urgent recruitment of health workers to ease pressure on existing staff.
“We are giving the government until Tuesday, 28 April 2026, to act. If nothing is done, the NMA will call an Emergency Congress to decide on our next lawful steps, which may include withdrawing services,” the statement added.
The doctors, however, said they remained open to dialogue, noting that industrial action was a last resort but warning that the health system was already under severe strain.
“We do not want to go on strike. When doctors strike, the people suffer. But the truth is that people are already suffering because the system has become very fragile,” it said.
The association urged Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently intervene, implement approved federal policies, and take steps to revitalise the state’s health sector.
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