NMA threatens to withdraw services in two Akwa Ibom hospitals

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Akwa Ibom State chapter has threatened to call up members working in Ibom Multi-Specialist hospital and St Luke’s hospital in the state, if the hospital managements continue to treat their welfare with levity and pay them pittance as salary.

The union urged the state government to set up committees that would ensure that all the doctors in those hospitals were paid good salary and provided with a condition of service that is commensurate with what is paid in the state.

This was part of the resolutions taken at the end of a weeklong 2025 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of NMA in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Fielding questions from newsmen, the State chairman of NMA, Dr. Aniekan Peter lamented that doctors in St Luke’s hospital Anua are paid “slave” salary and urged the management of the hospital to return it to state government if they cannot pay befitting salary to their doctors and other health workers.

He said, “AGM saw to securing the future of doctors through better remuneration. Look at the situations of doctors in Ibom Specialist hospital, we see where people work for several years, no increase in salary, no promotion, it’s unacceptable, we will soon issue an ultimatum to that hospital and withdraw the services of members.

“We want to appeal to the governor to set up a committee and ensure that all the doctors in that hospital are paid good salary and provided with a condition of service that is commensurate with what is paid in the state civil service.

“Also, doctors in St Luke’s hospital Anua are given slave salaries, we don’t want that to continue.

“If Anua feels that it cannot pay their doctors, they should return the hospital to the state government as it was before.

“A situation where doctors are being paid N150,000 is ridiculous. The Nigerian Medical Association will not accept that and we are going to take actions against St. Luke’s hospital.

“We want the state government to set up a committee also to ensure that that hospital is taken over by the state government if it cannot pay a living wage to doctors and other healthcare workers.”

The Chairman also urged the governor to prioritize the welfare of doctors and other health workers as he is already doing in health infrastructure, stressing, “you can’t build infrastructure without the labour, you have to match the two, side by side.”

Peter also disclosed that the AGM begged the governor to turn the Ibom multi-specialist hospital to Ibom Medical University and to ensure that training of manpower begins in earnest.

He said the facility is big enough to train doctors, medical lab scientists, physiotherapists, dentists, among others.

While commending the governor for appointing three of their members as commissioners and Special Advisers; Peter revealed that the union had commenced statewide sensitization programmes to churches in the 31 Local Government Areas of the state on maternal and child mortality rate in the state.

NMA threatens to withdraw services in two Akwa Ibom hospitals