FG hospitals begin symapthy strike for Lagos doctors

Skeletal activities were rendered in both the federal and Lagos state government-owned hospitals in Lagos on Tuesday, as the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) embarked on sympathy strike with their colleagues.

The Lagos chapter of the NMA had directed its members in the federal government-owned hospitals to join the sympathy strike.

On March 16, the doctors in the employment of the state government embarked on an indefinite strike over the refusal of the government to accede to their demands, such as continued employment of doctors as casual workers and non-employment of resident doctors at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

Others issues are the alleged non-payment of their salary arrears for May 2012, as well as July, August and September 2014 due to the no-work-no-pay policy of the state government.

Tope Ojo, Lagos chairman of NMA, directed his members in both the federal and state government-owned hospitals to run only emergency services during the sympathy strike.

Visits to LASUTH, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba and Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital, Yaba, showed that the doctors were only attending to emergency cases.

Other health personnel including nurses, pharmacists and laboratory scientists were seen attending to the few patients on admission and in the out-patient unit.

However, there were normal activities at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi and Gbagada General Hospital as the doctors were seen on duty attending to patients.

Nike Ayo, the public relations officer, National Orthopedic Hospital, said that doctors under the aegis of  Association of Resident Doctors had written to the hospital’s management on the strike.

According to her, the resident doctors  had notified the hospital authorities about  the directive of the union to proceed on indefinite strike in  support of  their counterparts in the state.

Ibrahim Ogunbi, NMA publicity secretary, also told NAN that doctors were only on ground to render emergency services.

Ogunbi said that doctors were passionate about their patients and would ensure that they get medical attention in spite of the strike.

He said that the national body of the association might be involved in the strike if the state government refuses to accede to the doctors’ demands.