7th May, 2012
The Lagos State Government has sacked 788 doctors on its payroll over the strike since 16 April by the doctors to press for the full implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure(CONMESS).
Each of the doctors was served a dismissal letter dated Friday, 4 May, 2012.
They were sacked by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Board and the State’s Health Service Commission (HSC) .
In a statement from the Office of the Head of Service of Lagos State, the two bodies attributed the sack to the refusal of the striking doctors to answer to queries issued to them to explain why they were absent from work without leave and without the due observance of the rules and regulations guiding strikes and industrial actions in the State’s Public Service.
According to the statement, 316 doctors were working with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital while the remaining 472 were from other hospitals in the State.
The Statement also said the Lagos State Government has announced the employment of 373 doctors for immediate deployment in the public hospitals while recruitment continues. Explaining the acts leading to the sack of the doctors, the statement declared, “Resulting from the contemptible act of the Medical Doctors LASUTH Board and HSC, the two bodies that appointed them in line with subsisting statutes, served those who were ‘Absent without Leave’ (AWOL) with queries”, adding that while a handful of them responded, majority of the doctors shunned the query.
The Statement maintained that the strike came as a rude shock to the State Government “since the leadership of the Medical Guild still met during the week preceding the illegal strike with top Government officials in charge of Health and establishment sectors”.
The Statement explained further that in order to ensure that the healthcare delivery service of the State continues to function for the benefit of the people, the State Government has placed advertisement in some national dailies seeking applications from suitably qualified Medical Doctors and Consultants/Specialists desirous of working with the Government adding that the response has been overwhelming.
On what made the strike illegal, the statement noted, among other things, that the doctors only gave the State Government 24 hours notice “as against the time-tested and statute-bound processes and procedures for declaration of industrial disputes”.
Prior to the sack, the Personnel Management Board(PMB), the disciplinary organ of government met on 11-13 April 2012 and established against the doctors a case of misconduct to wit absence from duty without leave or reasonable cause.
The PMB also established against the doctors, a case of insurbordination for failure to respond to lawful query issued to them.
In a letter the PMB recommended the sacking of the doctors, : “The committee therefore recommend your dismissal from service in accordance with the provisions of the civil service rule No 04502, 04507 and 04508. The board has therefore approved your dismissal.
“Therefore you are to convey the possession of the properties of the state government in your custody to the Chief Medical Director(CMD)”.
The letter was signed by the CMD of LASUTH, Professor David Oke.
Responding to the sack notice, Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote described it as a confirmation of the government’s insensitivity and insincerity to resolve the issue on ground.
He said the Guild has taken its hands off the matter and has handed the case to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
He condemned the State Government for its insincerity, saying that they called the doctors for a meeting on Saturday whereas they had signed their sack letters a day earlier.
He also flayed the House of Assembly for passing a vote of no confidence in a bid to resolve the issue.
“The meeting held on Saturday at the House of Assembly and they (House members) showed partisanship on the issue,” he said.
Odusote, however, said the doctors have no regrets for embarking on the strike, adding that the wages of doctors was nothing to write home about.
As at the time of filing this report, the affected doctors were having a meeting at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital( LUTH) with the NMA to determine the next line of action.
By Kazeem Ugbodaga