Skeletal Services In Hospitals As Strike Enters Day 2

The three-day warning strike by medical and health workers in the country is taking its toll on patients in Lagos public hospitals as skeletal service is being rendered while the striking workers have completely shunned work.

Medical and health workers under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, ordered both state and federal workers to begin a three-day warning strike on Wednesday in order to press home their demands.

At the Lagos State General Hospitals, the nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, mid-wives and others under JOHESU’s umbrella complied with the directive to embark on strike and stayed at home.

The Lagos State Government, in order to manage the strike and prevent total paralysis, now relies on doctors to take up the work of the striking health workers as the warning strike enters the second day today.

At the Orile-Agege General Hospital, skeletal services were being rendered to ante-natal patients and others by doctors.

Also, senior workers on Grade Level 14 and above that cannot go on strike are also carrying out the work to avoid total paralysis.

An ante-natal patient, Ifeoma Alalade told P.M.NEWS that skeletal services were being administered to patients by doctors.

The Medical Director in the hospital, when contacted on phone said she could not comment on the strike as she was not permitted to talk to newsmen and referred us to the Lagos State Ministry of Health.

In Ifako-Ijaiye, the strike is having untold effect on patients as the workers stayed at home in compliance with the strike order.

A medical laboratory scientist, who craved anonymity, said the strike had been effective.

At the Gbagada General Hospital, the situation was the same as skeletal services were being rendered to patients while the workers stayed away.

Also, the strike has been very effective in all Primary Healthcare Centres, PHCs, across the state as most of the workers shunned work.

The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Igando General Hospital, General Hospital and others are seriously affected by the strike as skeletal services were being rendered to patients, especially those in critical condition.

JOHESU went on strike following government’s refusal to promote members from grade level 14 to 15, as well as failure to comply with the judgment of the National Industrial Court (NIC) on consultancy and specialist allowances of deserved members.

Other grouses are failure to issue a letter of withdrawal for the illegal post of Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC); failure to adhere to the skipping of CONHESS 10 as addressed and directed by the NIC ruling as well as the Federal Government’s failure to adjust retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga