It should be notd that he doctors who are under the employment of the Lagos State government had earlier suspended a three-day warning strike from April 11-13, 2012.
The queries issued to the doctors by the various hospitals and the Health Service Commission was in fulfillment of the government’s decision to challenge what it termed the doctors’ ‘illegal’ three day warning strike they embarked upon recently.
“Following police intimidation in the hospitals and at our congress today and queries, intimidation and threat of sack by government through the disciplinary panels the Medical Guild’s congress at the Government Hospital, Lagos Island today voted overwhelmingly to com-mence an indefinite strike action with immediate effect.
This decision shall stand until government withdraws all queries and implements full Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS),” the release said.
Earlier yesterday morning, visit by our correspondent to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, revealed that patients on admission were abandoned to their fate as there was no doctor on hand to either conduct the usual ward round or review their cases, Notably a Pregnant woman, names withheld who was supposed to undergo Ceasarian section was abandoned and left unattended to.
Patients at the outpa-tient wards were not also attended to by one or two doctors on ground as they were obviously awaiting instructions from the Guild.
It would be recalled that the state government and the doctors have been at loggerheads for some time over issues of welfare such as teaching allowance for the house officers, disparity in the salary structure of doctors in the general hospitals and those of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. They also leveled allegation of excessive taxation against government, among others.
However, government has continued to respond to these allegations claiming the Federal Government cannot impose the implementation of its salary structure on it. Though, the state agreed to some disparities in the salaries paid to the doctors in terms of their grade levels and steps, but has enjoined affected ones to formally report to appropriate quarters for appropriate action.
Some of the doctors had been invited to the Health Service Commission’s office in Lagos Island yesterday to respond to queries earlier issued to them but the Medical Guild mobilised its members to the venue in solidarity with those invited. It was reported that Police men were drafted to the scene by government to avert crisis, the situation doctors termed intimidation.
Meanwhile, the state government has described the strike at ridiculous, unnecessary and malicious, saying it was aimed to discredit the state government.
According to the commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba, the latest strike has no basis since the government has restated its commitment to ensure better welfare for all the medical doctors in the state.
Ibirogba stated that the demands of doctors seeking teaching allowance for the house officer who, on moral ground is assumed, to still be undergoing training is fraudulent, saying” when they are demanding for same teaching allowance for house officers, is isn’t it fraudulent someone who is still undergoing training. What do we call that, learning allowance or teaching allowance? He said the strike was concocted to weaken the confidence people have in public hospitals, saying no state has the workforce of doc-tors like Lagos and none of the states in Nigeria has implemented the CONMESS in the way Lagos has done.
Ibirogba frowned at the manner in which doctor were allegedly disrupted Island maternity. “By general understanding, doc-tors world over safe lives they don’t take lives. Why should some doctors went to Island maternity to disturb patients who were recuperating all in the name of pressing their demands?
He described the latest strike as selfish and inhuman, saying that while Lagosians are getting confidence in term quality health care in the government owned hospital, some doctors who own private hospitals are hell bent at jeopardising the efforts so as to betray the confidence.
The state Health Commissioner, Jide Idris express shock at the latest strike, describing as uncalled for while issues mentioned in the CONMESS have addressed.
Idris said the state has over 1,200 doctors and has remained committed to the welfare of doctors. He said the house officer is paid over N179, 000 while level 17 step 9 earns about N810, 000.
“The government is trying its best. No state is paying as much as we are. Some state has 250 doctors while we have over 1,200 to cater for other doctors who had issue with CONMES have not gone strike.”
I can’t just imagine what their grievances are after we have dressed the issues regarding the CONMESS”, added.
On whether the strike was instigated by the query issued by the state government following the three day warning strike, Dr Idris said: “Government has the right to issue query for its employee who fails to resume at his duty post for three days. Besides, employee cannot dictate for his employer. They just want to blackmail the government because of the sensitivity of the health sector”
The latest strike, which commenced with immediate effect, yesterday, has, for the second time within a fortnight, put the fortunes of healthcare delivery in the state in jeopardy. Consequently, there are virtually no doctors on duty to attend to hundreds of patients who besieged the health facilities in search of essential healthcare and in some cases, life-saving health services.
pls gov fash shd talk dem out to save our health sector
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