The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Akwa Ibom State chapter has warned that doctors working in Ibom Multi-Specialist Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospital may soon stop work if the welfare of its members continues to be ignored and they are paid very low salaries.
The association called on the state government to step in by setting up committees that would make sure doctors in the hospitals are paid well and given proper conditions of service like their colleagues in the state civil service.
This warning was part of the resolutions reached at the end of the 2025 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the NMA held in Uyo.
Speaking to journalists, the state chairman of the NMA, Dr. Aniekan Peter, expressed displeasure that doctors in St. Luke’s Hospital Anua receive what he called “slave wages.”
He insisted that if the hospital cannot pay its doctors and health workers properly, it should be handed back to the state government.
Dr. Peter further noted that doctors in Ibom Multi-Specialist Hospital have worked for years without salary increases or promotions.
He described the situation as unacceptable and warned that the NMA would soon issue an ultimatum and withdraw the services of its members from the hospital.
He appealed to the state governor to urgently set up a committee that will ensure doctors in the hospital are paid decent salaries and enjoy conditions of service similar to what is obtainable in other state-owned institutions.
On St. Luke’s Hospital, Dr. Peter condemned the payment of ₦150,000 as salary to doctors, calling it ridiculous.
He stressed that the NMA will not accept such treatment and demanded that the hospital be returned to the state government if it cannot pay a living wage to its doctors and health workers.
The NMA chairman also reminded the governor that while building health infrastructure is commendable, such efforts will not yield results without motivated doctors and health workers to manage them.
He urged the government to balance infrastructure development with the welfare of medical personnel.
The AGM further appealed to the governor to consider converting the Ibom Multi-Specialist Hospital into a Medical University.
According to the NMA, the facility is big enough to serve as a training center for doctors, physiotherapists, medical laboratory scientists, dentists, and other health professionals.
Dr. Peter also commended the governor for appointing three members of the association as commissioners and special advisers in his administration.
He disclosed that the NMA has already started a sensitization program across churches in all 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom to tackle maternal and child mortality in the state.
