Fashola employs 265 health tech graduates, appeals to striking doctors

Kazeem Ugbodaga

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has appealed to the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, to call of its strike in the interest of patients in the various hospitals begging for attention.

Speaking at the second convocation ceremony of the Lagos State College of Health Technology in Yaba, Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria on Thursday 3 July, the governor disclosed that the state has employed 265 health graduates.

He then appealed to all medical workers to desist from using strike actions as a means of meeting their demand.

He said those that invented strikes in the country’s health sector did it for the sake of their patients and not for themselves, thereby asking the present crop of doctors to emulate the past leaders.

Fashola said all medical workers from the least to the highest in the chain of command were like gods on earth, saying that “only sick people who have been ill knows your importance.

“Workers in other sectors of the country’s economy are not satisfied with their remuneration. They are not holding governments to ransom because they do not want Nigeria to fail,” he stated.

However, the governor gave automatic employment to all 265 fresh graduates of the college, saying that his delight was that “we are producing graduates in areas where the state economy has a compelling need. The primary healthcare is critical to Lagos economy.”

“We are producing graduates, who will help us achieve our objectives. So, in order to show that we are ready to work our talk, I say publicly that all of the graduating students today will be immediately employed by our government.

“We will work the process. We will go to the State House of Assembly if it is necessary to raise supplementary budget to fund their employment. But I make this commitment to you as a matter of honour,” he said.

According to him, “we are offering automatic employment to the 265 fresh graduates of the college. The state government primary objective is to make sure that hospitals are not filled because they ensure initially that the people do not fall sick.”

Fashola also said the government would grant autonomy to the management of the institution, saying that government would only intervene in the affair of the institution when necessary.

“Believe me, no governor, no president wants to be involved in day to day running of institutions. That is why there are Vice Chancellors, provosts, lecturers and governing councils. Let us ask ourselves almost too often when there are problems in the schools where do the students and lecturers run to, they run to the government. This is a shared responsibility. When the request to grant this institution autonomy gets to me, I will approve it immediately,” he stated.