Coronavirus: Rivers Doctors ask FG to pay owed salaries

Lorine Emenike

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA Rivers state branch has called on the Federal Government to pay doctors their salaries to enable them to carry out their duties especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rivers NMA chairman, Dr Obelebra Adebiyi while stating this in Port Harcourt during a chat with journalists on COVID 19, added that in the face of the pandemic the doctors’ welfare is paramount.

Also Read: Organized Labour calls for removal of Rivers Head of Service

”There is a need to look into the welfare of doctors and nurses because in the face of any epidermic, doctors and nurses are most affected. You see them dying, so they should pay them because going on strike in the face of this pandemic situation is not good for the country”.

Dr Adebiyi urged Rivers citizen and the general public not to panic but practice basic sanitary habits, asking travellers coming into the country with symptoms of fever and cough to self isolate themselves for 14 days.

She commended the state government and the state ministry of health for the high level of surveillance and called for more sensitisations across the state.

She enumerated that protocols should be followed which were laid out by NCDC and Federal Ministry of Health on gathering.

NMA boss also called on the people in the state to key into the ongoing yellow fever vaccination in the state.