The Association of Residents Doctors (ARD) in Kogi State has expressed concern over the non-implementation of the approved new salary structure, CONMESS 2024.

The doctors expressed their displeasure over the non-payment of arrears of the new minimum wage for October 2024 as promised by the state government, after an emergency meeting of the association in Lokoja.

The ARD President of Kogi State Specialist Hospital (KSSH) Lokoja, Dr Ameh Friday, who spoke on behalf of the doctors shortly after the meeting, appealed to Governor Ahmed Ododo to wade in and intervene.

According to him, “Doctors in the service of Kogi State Government have strongly expressed their gross dissatisfaction over the non-implementation of the approved new salary structure, CONMESS 2024”

He stated that members who attended in their numbers, aired their grievances for being excluded from the minimum wage implementation in October.

“In October 2024, the government graciously approved the new salary structure CONMESS 2024 for doctors working in the state.

“It was meant to motivate the already impoverished doctors and to serve as halting mechanism to the norms that exist where doctors working in the state are always on transition to leave the service due to poor remuneration,” he added.

The ARD leader explained that the approval was conveyed by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdulazeez Adams, and was widely circulated and published in the media, bringing joy to doctors in the state.

According to him, in appreciation of the gesture, various associations of doctors in Kogi State expressed their gratitude to the governor and prayed for the success of his administration.

He observed that the implementation that was meant to take effect in October was later slated for November and with a promise that the accrued arrears of October would be paid alongside the November salary.

However, he noted that members were thrown into disarray when November salary was paid few days ago without the October arrears of new minimum wage and implementation of the new salary structure, CONMESS 2024.

Friday explained that it is on record that, among all health workers working with the Kogi State Government, only medical doctors are still on the old salary structure of CONMESS 2014 whereas others have been on CONHESS 2024.

He called on Ododo to extend his goodwill to the doctors working with the State Civil Service and also appealed to the governor to direct the relevant government agencies to ensure the full implementation of what was rightly approved, for continuous harmony and peace in the health sector.

Kogi resident doctors decry non-implementation of new salary structure