Anambra Doctors Reject New Minimum Wage, Insist On Strike

Resident doctors of Anambra State-owned Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital have rejected the new minimum wage offer presented to them by the state governor, Willie Obiano.

The doctors have been on strike since May 13 over the poor condition of service.

Rejecting Obiano’s offer, the doctors insisted on continuing the indefinite strike.

The president of the resident doctors association of the institution, Dr. Obinna Aniagbaso, while conveying the governor’s message to members during its meeting on Tuesday in Awka, the state capital, said the governor offered to pay them the newly approved minimum wage.

He said,” According to the governor that would amount to N12,000 increment across the board to Anambra State civil servants as soon as the national guidelines are released.”

He said the governor during a meeting with him expressed dissatisfaction with the poor payment of salaries to the doctors and admitted that it was due to low Internally Generated Revenue of the state.

Aniagboso added,” The governor promised to revisit resident doctors’ salaries issue in one year time when the Internally Generated Revenue of the may have increased.

On hearing the message, the members raised their voice saying, “No, No, No”.

They expressed shock and disappointment at the minimum wage offer, wondering why COOUTH doctors should be neglected for long.

They insisted that full payment of their salary should retrospectively commence from April 2019 as agreed to by the government in their meeting in January, this year.