A ray of hope appears in the horizon for teeming Lagosians seeking medical treatments in the government hospitals, as resident doctors in Lagos State operating under the aegis of Medical Guild have suspended their 14-week strike after reaching a mutual agreement with the state government.

Briefing newsmen on Sunday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), the chairman of the Medical Guild , Dr. Ayobode Williams said the decision to suspend the strike is informed by the conviction of the doctors that the state government equally needs time to show its sincerity on the agreement reached.

According to him, “the congress of medical guild decided to suspend the 14-week-old strike to give way for government to show sincerity in all that they have promised to do and at this point, the congress also went ahead to say that if within 72 hours, the original salaries are not paid, that the congress may have to reconvene on Friday for possible actions. But if the money is paid, then the congress would have to reconvene again in February to review all the promises of the government including our immediate past chairman, taxation, issues of CONMESS, salary arrears and other issues.

“So at this point the strike is hereby suspended and work resumes at 8 am tomorrow morning (today) in all our facilities and we implore Lagosians who are listening to us to please attend our facilities because we on our own part, we promise to give our best so that we can continue to deliver good health services to the people of Lagos.”
He remarked that there was good understanding between the doctors and the government, adding that they would know by January ending when salaries would be paid if the government would live up to its responsibility.

“We have reached an agreement with the government and all we are saying is that we would wait for the government to live up to its responsibility and its sincerity. That has been thrown out and a new understanding has been reached between us and the government, I think we should leave it at understanding. We have a paper from the government to that effect.”

The agreement reached with the doctors that prompted the suspension of the protracted strike reads in part:
•That with effect from January 2011, government would implement the mutually agreeable wage review which would not put doctors in Lagos state hospitals at a comparison disadvantage with other health institutions.
•That based on the medical guild’s request, the government has significantly reviewed Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa’s case towards positive outcome.

•That the Medical Guild ‘srequest for the payment of arrears would be considered with the same spirit as the implementation of the salary review
•That the request of the withheld salaries; September and October is currently being reviewed with a positive outlook.
•The complaints of the Guild on excessive and arbitrary taxations would be reviewed and corrected
•The issue of bills for the medical guild and Association of Medical Doctors herein has been resolved with the payment of outstanding deductions on behalf of the two associations.

•No officer or group of officers would be victimised on account of participation or role played during the strike.
Two weeks ago the Lagos State Government, soft-pedaled on its initial stand and promised to pay the doctors 75 percent CONMESS. Though the offer was initially rejected by the doctors who wanted 100 per cent implementation of CONMESS, they have however, had a change of heart. Speaking with Daily Sun, Vice Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr Mojolade Taofeek said the issue now was not whether it was going to be 75 per cent or 100 per cent, but the government has promised to pay CONMESS by January 2011.

“We would give the government till the end of January to fulfill their promises to us, if they fail, by the first week of February the strike would resume again,” he said.
Patients in Lagos State had passed through hell following the strike embarked by the Medical Guild 14 weeks ago. The situation became compounded when Federal doctors in the state joined the strike in sympathy with their colleagues.

To salvage the situation the Lagos State Government had recruited 155 doctors last week to fill in the gap until its issues with the Medical Guild were resolved.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/nov/22/national-22-11-2010-004.htm

We nd 2 stp all tis strike by med.drs.govt must do dt.bt 4 d whole month we no die.we wil fight these merchants dt goes on strike for money bt tk delight in fighting other health care profesional frm getting gd training,money etc.

*Enters, sees a low life, shakes head for the poverty of the mind in ikenahill.walks out*

@reindeer

Medical doctors in Nigeria are the ones that are suffering poverty of the mind ,not other health care professionals.

They feel inadequate and inferior that they see others as evil

They use the head of various positions to try to kill others without sucess
but they want good life and growth

they  forget that if you kill the crowing cock you have a date with lateness.

until the velocity with which one race is inferior and other superior, everywhere will be war

i thank god  that for Jonathan that warned the new minister of health to go and unite his ministry.

The day Nigerian medical doctors grow ,they will see what they have been missing.