As health services remain grounded in Federal and state hospitals in Lagos in the wake of an indefinite strike by doctors,  doctors under the auspices of the Medical Guild have decried a monthly financial shortfall of N33, 477, 508.00 in the implementation of the full Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, in Lagos state even as they are alleging they were tricked into entering agreement with the state government.

Findings by Vanguard showed that the sum in question includes the total financial shortfall from the monthly wage package of the 1,282 doctors under the Lagos state Health Service Commission and the 98 honorary consultants at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH.

It was gathered that the shortfall, which the doctors are claiming was part of the initial calculation of the CONMESS as approved by the state government, is currently the bone of contention in the ongoing industrial dispute in the State’s health sector which culminated in the sacking of 788 doctors on May 4.

Dr Idris Durojaiye

The doctors are alleging that the Lagos state government reneged in an agreement in which it committed to implement the full payment of the CONMESS as calculated and presented to Governor Babatunde Fashola who approved its implementation. It would be recalled that the Lagos state government through the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris and the Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe, had repeatedly insisted that the state was already paying the full CONMESS, level-for-level, and challenged the Medical Guild to prove otherwise.

Commenting on the development, Secretary of the Medical Guild, Dr. Idris Durojaiye said the monthly financial shortfall per doctor ranged from N9, 371.20 for the lowest ranked House Officer on Level 10, to N70, 950.00 for the highest ranked honorary Chief Consultant on Level 17.

In an exclusive interview, Durojaiye told Vanguard that the shortfall was part of the original amount approved for the doctors but was never paid as stated in the said agreement.

His words: “It was full CONMESS that was approved, but it is not being paid now. The shortfall is the amount that was cut off. Our initial calculation contained this shortfall and was part of the agreement presented to the Governor and was approved. But the government never paid up as agreed.”

Further, he stated: “When there is a new salary scale, the principle of unilateral conversion takes place. If you are on a certain step on one level in one salary scale, you are expected to transit to the same step and level in the new salary scale, but the state government has not done that. They did not follow the agreement but have dropped people in steps.

“Apart from the matter of Teaching Allowances and entry points, the issue of demotion of doctors through the dropping of steps is a major issue. When the agreement was signed, it was agreed we wouldn’t be at comparative disadvantage. We talked about no compression, but they did not do that. They tricked us.”

The Medical Guild Secretary said the CONMESS was designed to achieve was to set a minimum benchmark across the Federation and to prevent internal and external brain drain within the medical profession. “It would keep everyone on the same baseline and at their jobs wherever they are in the country. It would also prevent external brain drain as any improvement in wages would keep people in their countries.”

Giving a rundown of the genesis of the dispute, Durojaiye recalled that the Medical Guild had been agitating for full implementation of the CONMESS since 2009 and had made several representations to the state government on the matter.

“In November 2011, the Lagos State Government agreed to pay CONMESS as approved in the Federal Government Circular SWC/S/04/S.410/220 released by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. This document specifically indicated government’s acceptance to pay and also not to place Lagos State doctors at any disadvantage whatsoever relative to their colleagues anywhere else in the country.”

According to Durojaiye, the government later rescinded on the agreement but an agreement was finally signed in March 2011 between the Lagos State Government and the Medical Guild to implement CONMESS in full.

With reference to a letter, LGS/HOS/06/Vol.VI/30 dated November 19,2010 from the Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe to the Chairman of the Medical Guild, Durojaiye argued that government committed to full implementation of the CONMESS. He pointed out a section of the letter entitled: “Re: Medical/Dental Officers Salary Review” which read as follows….”that with effect from January 2011, government will implement a mutually agreeable wage review which will not put doctors in Lagos state hospitals at a comparative disadvantage to their counterparts in other health institutions.”

A copy of the second agreement dated March 24, 2011, entitled: “Re: Agreement With The Medical Guild”, which was made available to Vanguard reads as follows: “On March 24, 2011, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with the doctors regarding the ongoing strike and an agreement had been reached. During the meeting the following points were agreed by both parties: (i) payment of CONMESS salary in full (no compression) to all doctors; (ii) one month salary bonus; (iii) allowances will be classified as non-taxable. i.e., no taxes will be deducted on these allowances (iv) Further welfare packages will be developed to improve working conditions for all healthcare providers within the state.”

The agreement which was signed by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chairman Henry Ajomale and Dr. Jide Idris, further noted that: “Based on their dialogue and agreement, it is expected that the Medical Guild will meet with their Congress and call off the strike soonest.”

According to Durojaiye, the agreement included the cost of implementing CONMESS in full. “The Medical Guild suspended its strike action in good faith, despite the earlier reneging of the Lagos State government, in order to allow implementation of the agreement.

“However, the Lagos State Government failed to honour the agreement and chose to implement the salary structure the way it wanted.  For the past one year, the Medical Guild has been writing, meeting and pleading with government to correct the shortfall in implementation of CONMESS, but government chose to shift and default on its promises,” he stressed.