Juliet Jacob Ochenje
Medical workers in Ondo State on Friday, took to the streets to demonstrate against the state government’s failure to pay their salaries and other benefits since 2019.
These workers were originally employed by the Ondo State Hospital Management Board but were later transferred to the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital due to the merger of these two organizations.
They alleged that the government had deceived them by giving them lower salaries compared to their colleagues working at the University Teaching Hospital, even though they had been employed at the same institution for the last five years.
The demonstrators carried numerous signs urging the state government to address their situation promptly, as they felt disheartened by earning less than their colleagues.
A few of the signs stated: “Our situation is dire,” “We’ve been working without proper pay for five years,” “We are suffering greatly,” “Please pay us our teaching hospital salary,” “We only want to be paid the UTH salary,” and “Treat us fairly.”
One individual stated that the issue at hand is that certain staff members, such as Nurses, Pharmacists, Medical Social Workers, Radiologists, Dietitians, Clinical Psychologists, Drivers, Tailors, etc., who had transferred their services from HMB to the teaching hospital after the harmonization in 2019, have not received any benefits from the teaching hospital, despite their appointments being confirmed since 2023. On the other hand, consultants and administrative officers who also transferred their services from HMB to the teaching hospital have been receiving their entitlements for more than four years.
After being sworn in as Governor of Ondo State in January 2024, Lucky Aiyedatiwa vowed to tackle the problems within the state’s healthcare system, including the unfair benefits enjoyed by newly hired staff at the teaching hospital compared to those who transferred their services at the same level.
Aiyedatiwa also pledged to increase the number of healthcare workers in the coming year. He promised to prioritize the well-being of workers and ensure that all pending benefits of public servants in the state are paid. He stated that the recruitment of more health workers would be pursued to enhance the health sector, and vacancies would be filled as required.
