The Medical Guild of Lagos State has called on the government to pay the reviewed Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) allowance or face a potential crisis. The Medical Guild, an association of doctors employed by Lagos State, is demanding the payment of the living wage of doctors, which has already been implemented for their federal counterparts and in several states, including Ekiti, Delta, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Katsina.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Moruf Abdulsalam, the organization highlighted the increasing salary disparity between doctors in Lagos State and those in other regions, exacerbating the emigration of doctors to federal employment and other countries.
“The non-payment of the reviewed CONMESS allowance has already been implemented for our federal colleagues and in the states of Ekiti, Delta, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Katsina. This has worsened the salary parity between doctors in Lagos State and aggravated the already dire emigration of doctors to federal employment and out of the country. Moreover, the current economic starvation and stagflation in the country are biting harder on doctors too,” Abdulsalam stated.
Abdulsalam appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to take urgent action to prevent a major crisis in the health sector by implementing the proposed incentives.
“In the build-up to the disputed issues with the government, we would like to place on record that we have and continue to employ all manners of advocacy and constructive persuasion, to avert this looming crisis. The government is yet to budge. In the coming days, we shall call on the Association’s Congress to determine the next line of action,” he added.
The Medical Guild’s call for action underscores the critical state of the health sector in Lagos and the need for immediate government intervention to address the concerns of medical professionals.
