Ekiti NAGGMDP Members Decry Pay Disparity

Ekiti State government has been urged to address the alleged pay disparity between medical doctors in the employ of the state and their federal counterparts.

The doctors, under the auspices of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) in the state, appealed to the government to address the situation which it said had been pending for the past three years.

The group said, “The entry point for newly-employed doctors in the Federal  health institutions  is statutorily Grade Level 13, while it still remains Grade Level 12 in Ekiti State.”

NAGGMDP, an affiliate of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), thereby gave the state government a one-month ultimatum to the state government  to  do the needful or else they would proceed on industrial action.

The NAGGMDP chairman, Dr. Akinleye Alo, who addressed a press conference in Ado-Ekiti along with some executive members of the association, said the body had been on the issue with the state government for the past three years without any headway.

According to him, “In the meeting, we resolved to give the government another one month ultimatum so as to allow for further negotiations to resolve the issues that could bring about the strike. It has been a long time issue.

When you are employed as a doctor, there is a circular that stipulates that the entry salary level of a new doctor is Level 13. In Ekiti as we speak, the entry-level is still Level 12.

“This is making many of us to leave the service for greener pastures either within or outside the country. The implication of this is that all the doctors in general hospitals and primary health institutions in Ekiti State have pay disparity with their counterparts in Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti and the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).’’