Medical doctors in Ondo State, under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), have issued a fresh strike ultimatum to the state government, warning of an imminent and total shutdown of healthcare services across all state-owned medical facilities if their worsening welfare conditions are not urgently addressed.
The medical practitioners are demanding the immediate and full implementation of several federal government-approved welfare circulars, which they accuse the state government of ignoring. Chief among their grievances is the failure of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration to implement the reviewed Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), hazard allowances, and other statutory benefits that have already been adopted by the federal government and several neighboring states. The doctors expressed deep frustration that despite holding multiple exploratory meetings, appealing to stakeholders, and engaging in dialogue with state officials over the past months, no tangible progress has been made to improve their working conditions.
The leadership of the NMA in Ondo State warned that the continuous neglect of doctors’ welfare is actively fueling an unprecedented brain drain (locally known as Japa) within the state’s healthcare workforce. The wide disparity in remuneration between Ondo State and other states—as well as federal medical institutions—has led to a massive exodus of skilled professionals, leaving the state’s healthcare system severely understaffed and highly fragile. The medical association stated that it has given the government a strict window to act, failing which it will convene an Emergency General Meeting to ratify an indefinite withdrawal of services, a move they note remains their last painful resort to save the state’s collapsing health sector.
