22nd May, 2012
The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has decried the threats and intimidation being dished out by the disengaged striking Lagos doctors on the newly recruited doctors.
The party describes the threats as uncivilised and a desperate way to worsen the health crisis in Lagos since the doctors abandoned work over personal interests.
In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party advises the sacked doctors to embrace dialogue and peace offered by Lagos State government, which is still ready to listen to the sacked doctors and stop thinking they can be allowed to cripple the health sector in Lagos.
It says that it is sad that doctors that should have been reticent in its actions are now acting like area boys and are now issuing threats to colleagues as a way of worsening the health conditions of Lagosians.
According to Igbokwe, “we see the threat messages to the newly recruited doctors as a condemnable act that aims to completely paralyse health delivery in Lagos in the wake of the intransigence of the sacked doctors who decided to abandon their professional calling for personal comfort and other trivial benefits.
“We see this unprofessional conduct as demeaning of the status of doctors who should not be associated with anything that constitutes threat to lives and we condemn those behind this effort to scare away the newly recruited doctors from taking up the responsibilities the sacked doctors abandoned.”
He added: “while we condemn this resort to uncivilised self help by the sacked doctors, we urge them to go back to the negotiation table with the state government, which has declared that its doors are still open for further engagement with the sacked doctors.
“We urge them to put their acts together and signify intent to go back to work so as to allow for further talks with the government. We restate our position that medical doctors are life savers and that they undermine their professional callings by abandoning their professional duties in pursuit of added comfort.