The National Association of Government General and Medical Dental Practitioners has threatened to embark on industrial action beginning 1st October, 2024 to drive home displeasure over poor welfare.
Besides, the doctors working under state government payroll lamented acute shortage of manpower of personnel presently stood at 1 Doctor to 33,000 population ratio in the state.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Secretary of the association, Dr. Anas Idris Hassan, disclosed the decision to down tool was part of resolution reached at the end of its congress.
Dr. Anas stated that despite reaching an agreement with the Kano State Government months ago which is June to meet their demands, the government has yet to respond.
He emphasized that the government has not addressed the issue of their hazard allowance, specifically the post-COVID-19 hazard allowance, which has been paid by the federal government since 2021 but has yet to be paid by the Kano State Government.
Dr. Anas further mentioned that newly employed medical doctors, who were hired by the Kano State Government in September 2023, have not been paid their salaries.
The medical practitioners also expressed concern over the dilapidated state of Kano hospitals and the lack of necessary equipment, stressing the urgent need to address these issues.
Dr. Anas highlighted the critical doctor-to-patient ratio in Kano, which is significantly lower than the World Health Organization’s standard.
He noted that there are an estimated 20 million people in Kano, served by only 600 doctors, resulting in a ratio of one doctor to 33,000 patients.