22nd November, 2010
Thousands of patients besieged Lagos State hospitals today to get medical attention as doctors resume duty following the suspension of their 14-week old strike.
The doctors called off the strike yesterday after the Lagos State Government heeded their demand by agreeing to pay them the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, approved for federal doctors.
In several public hospitals visited today, patients were seen seeking medical attention to their problems.
At Orile-Agege General Hospital, patients waited to be attended to by doctors. Many of them expressed happiness that the 14-week old strike had finally been suspended.
When P.M.NEWS visited the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital, the situation was the same as patients queue to be attended to by doctors. The hospital was burstling with activities as nurses and other medical personnel attended to patients.
At Igando General Hospital, patients were observed trickling to the general department and being attended to by nurses who bring out their cards for onward movement to the doctors. Sources at the hospital told P.M.NEWS that many patients were still unaware of the suspension of the strike by the doctors.
Situation at the Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos showed that the doctors have fully resumed duty but there were few patients.
At the Somolu General Hospital located on Oguntolu Street, patients were seen waiting for the doctors to resume duty as at 7.30 a.m. The hospital clerk was busy getting their files ready to be attended to by the doctors.
Patients who turned up at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja were still very few as at 8.30 a.m. but the doctors were seen moving around the wards to attend to available patients.
A patient, Valentine Solomon told our reporter at Orile-Agege General Hospital that he was happy that the strike had been called off.
Another patient, Mr. Gideon Oloto expressed joy at the resumption of the doctors and pleaded with state government not to allow them go on strike again. “I am here to receive treatment and when I heard that the doctors have called off their strike, I was very happy,’’ he stated.
According to Mrs. Funmi Adenupe, the resumption of duty by the doctors was a welcome development. “I am happy that a doctor will attend to my baby,†she said, while Mr. Muhammed Ogabi expressed happiness over the development. He lamented that some people died during the strike and called on government to take the needs of the doctors as a priority.
A civil servant, who craved anonymity lamented that despite the fact that he was a staff, he was not attended to at the Surulere General Hospital when he brought his child to the hospital during the strike. He expressed happiness that the strike had been suspended.
At Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital, Mr. Aliu Odulate, who brought his child to the hospital said the suspension of the strike by the doctors was very good, but regretted that he had to pay heavy medical bill in a private hospital when his wife gave birth to the baby. He urged the government to take the welfare of doctors seriously.
At the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Centre, Ebute-Metta, patients were being attended to by doctors.
A diabetic patient, Mr. Amodu Ajibose said he was attended to by a doctor and was happy, while Mrs. Adenike Isuapere who brought her son for treatment appealed to government not to allow the doctors to go back on strike again.
The doctors suspended their strike yesterday after a mutual agreement between them and the state government.
Announcing the suspension of the strike yesterday, Chairman, Medical Guild, Dr. Ayobode Williams, told newsmen that the strike had been suspended but said the guild would give the state government 72 hours to pay all its withheld salaries and allowances or the doctors would reconvene on Friday to resume the strike.
“After deliberation, we decided to suspend the 14-week old strike to give way for government to show us their sincerity. If within 72 hours the withheld salaries were not paid, congress will hold on Friday but if the salaries are paid, congress will hold in February, 2011 to review the issue of CONMESS.
“Works resume by 8 a.m. tomorrow in all government hospitals. We implore Lagosians to visit our health facilities tomorrow,†he said.
On whether the state government had agreed to pay them 100 percent of CONMESS, Williams was evasive, saying that “there is a good understanding between us and government and by January, the salary review will be paid.
“We have reached an agreement with the government. A new understanding has been reached between us and the government.â€
At the meeting between the government and the doctors on Friday, a consensus agreement was reached between the parties. The agreement was signed by the Lagos State Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe.
In the agreement, it was agreed that by January 2011, government will implement a mutually agreed wage review for the doctors and that government had significantly reviewed the case of the sacked former Chairman, Medical Guild, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa and would reverse his sack.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga, Paul Sanusi & Adesina Ayodeji