Doctors in Anambra State, under the aegis of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners, NAGGMDP, have vowed to continue with their strike until the state government met their demand for a pay increase.

Dr. Joe Uyamadu, Secretary of NAGGMDP, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday in Onitsha that they were insisting on the implementation of the pay increase because the state government had not honoured past agreements.

He said: “Two years when we embarked on a strike for the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, for doctors nationwide, we were deceived to call it off and resume work after prominent indigenes of the state intervened.

“We were promised that the government would look in to our demand; but nothing materialised after we obeyed them till now.

“We have had four different salary increase agreements with the the state government in the past, but non had been implemented.”

He accused the Anambra State Government of over working the 54 doctors in its employ.

Uyamadu said that the doctors had to oversee the 405 general hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the state.

“A Chief Medical Officer, CMO, here receives N180,000; which is against the N700,000 and N800,000 paid to CMOs in other states.

Uyamadu urged the doctors not to believe the recent statement by the state that it had met the striking doctors through a joint negotiating team.

He said the association had not reeived any letter from the state government inviting them to any  negotiation.

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Mid-Wives, NANNM, are currently on a warning strike, even as the doctors’ strike entered its eighth day.