LAUTECH: Oyo NMA declares 3-day warning strike
BY TRIBUNE ONLINE
JANUARY 09, 2018
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State Branch, on Tuesday, directed all doctors in the state, both in the public and private practice, to embark on a three-day warning strike from Wednesday (January 10) to protest the alleged unfair treatment of doctors at the Lautech Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.
NMA chairman in the state, Dr Mojisola Atalabi, who disclosed this during a press conference, in Ibadan, however, said only emergencies would be attended to during the strike, adding that the South West zonal executive of NMA would also hold a crucial meeting on the issue.
The association also directed the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria (MDCAN) and Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, to proceed on immediate and indefinite total strike.
Atalabi, who noted that the strike was declared with the knowledge and permission of National President of NMA, Prof Mike Ogirima, stated that the Governor Abiola Ajimobi-led government, few days ago, sacked 256 members of staff, transferred another 299 to different parts of Oyo State, redeployed 55 resident doctors, and transferred six consultants.
Dr Atalabi, flank by the association’s general secretary, Dr Abimbola Sojimi, and Drs Tobi Bright and Usman Shittu, said if nothing is done to resolve the issue, doctors will not hesitate go their next plan to drive home their grievances.
NMA Oyo chairman stated that health in the state should not be treated like a business venture, adding that closing down the tertiary hospital was not synonymous the state governemnt’s campaign on provision of good healthcare delivery.
Atalabi said that government’s claim that there was fund leakage in the hospital and that it’s overstaffed was not enough an excuse to close down the state’s only teaching hospital.
According to her, “Our members are being witch hunted, degraded, impoverished to the extent that many have sold their cars and belongings to survive. Some are being treated for severe depression. We can no longer fold our arms and watch these grave injustices to continue to be perpetrated against our members.”
The association, however, placed eight demands before the state government that included immediate reversal of redeployment of resident doctors that should be allowed to continue with their training unconditionally, reversal of salary to full payment that should include skipping and relativity, proper funding of residency programme for effective and qualitative training