LAGOS State Governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) Tuesday approved increased salaries and allowances for Medical/Dental workers in the state public service to the equivalent of 75per cent of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

In a statement, Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu said: “Having painstakingly examined the issue, His Excellency has directed in line with the newly approved pay policy of the state, an implementation of an increase in the salaries and allowances of medical/dental officers in the state public service to an amount equivalent to about 75per cent of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure in order to prevent further loss of lives and protect the welfare of the citizens of the state.”

Sanwo-Olu said in response to the doctors’ demands, the government agreed to review the dismissal of Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa; the commencement of the deduction of the Medical Guild’s check-off dues through the Treasury Office and a review of the issue of tax deduction in order to comply with relevant Tax Laws of Government.

The government urged the doctors to end the strike.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/18502.html

Even tho I understand the grief that these doctors go through with the low wages, late payment and lack of modernized technologies in their facilities, I still believe that their strike was jut selfish and thoughtless.

These doctors have been on strike for months [3, I think]. What effect has their strike had on their patients? Are the nurses with limited medical knowledge seeing to their patients?

This is past ridiculous. Why don't they make it illegal for public employees like school faculties teachers, doctors, etc to strike?
Strike is going to continue nevertheless, no matter the agreement or compromise. Until they make it illegal, strike will continue to be a powerful tools.
That's why you have 4yrs schooling degree elongating to 7yrs schooling. Ridiculous.

I guess the motto is "For One to survive, Another must die".

27 die in LASUTH as doctors’ strike grinds Lagos
Home | News | 27 die in LASUTH as doctors’ strike grinds Lagos
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Published 29/10/2010 00:22:10 Nigerian Compass

•Protesters storm Alausa

At least 27 people were yesterday confirmed dead at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, even as patients on admission in the hospital trooped out in large numbers to stage a protest in front of the Government House, Alausa, Ikeja. In the midst of the patients was little David Ita, a three-month-old baby; those suffering from sickle cell anaemia; patients with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV); typhoid patients and a 65-year-old Mrs. Shola Ogun who is having severe pains in her legs.

The protesters, who came in large numbers, bore placards with messages ranging from, “Fashola, answer the doctors for the sake of the patients; people are suffering for medical treatment; people are dying, please bear with us. Have mercy on the masses; we want doctors to start their work; patients are crying in the hospital; children are dying; Fashola; don’t let them spoil your good name; Fashola! Their patients are also your electorate”.

http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/72482-die-LASUTH-doctors-strike-grinds-Lagos.html

The effect of the ongoing strike by resident doctors in state-owned hospitals in Lagos has continued to leave unpleasant marks on the lives of many Lagosians who rely on the health services provided by these hospitals. Since the strike commenced on Saturday, the third this year, activities at the state-owned hospitals have been crippled as doctors have stopped attending to patients.

Temitayo Adedugbe, a petty trader and mother of two, seems to be in quagmire. Her aged father has been on admission at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for the past two weeks, and she is thinking of taking her father home because she can’t afford to transfer him to a private hospital.

“Since the doctors stopped attending to my father, I have been thinking of transferring him to another hospital. But I can’t afford a private hospital yet, that is why he is still here. The nurses attend to him but they can’t prescribe drugs for him, so he is not receiving treatment. Maybe I’ll just take him home and look after him myself.”

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5613922-146/story.csp

It amazes me when people see Drs as selfish for pressing home improvement on their conditions of service.Drs are an integral part of the larger society.Drs shop in same markets with the general populace.Their kids attend same schools.they pay same bills with other professions.Yes,the "hippocratic" oat is sacrosanct but dead people dont obey vows!The government/ruling class are after personal gains only.The only language the understand is strike.NLC ha started the warning strike today too! !

karl ken:

It amazes me when people see Drs as selfish for pressing home improvement on their conditions of service.Drs are an integral part of the larger society.Drs shop in same markets with the general populace.Their kids attend same schools.they pay same bills with other professions.

Yes,the "hippocratic" oat is sacrosanct but dead people dont obey vows!The government/ruling class are after personal gains only.The only language the understand is strike.NLC ha started the warning strike today too! !

So far, no one on this thread has claimed that Drs are different from the general population. If there's something you didnt understand from my post, dont hesistate to let me know. I'm always ready to break it down.

Now concerning the second part of your post, you need to understand the importance of your job and how it can affect the general population. If you want to strike, plz get a job as a gutter cleaner, it won't affect that much people. But we're talking about the medical sector.
Knowing that your action would ruin the lives of those you took a vowed to protect  their the lives, health, and well-being but yet not caring is selfish. I do not care how many of you dress the selfishness up, what it is . . . .is what it is.

What happened during policemen strike in Nigeria?
What happens during the teachers strike?
What happened during the Hausa producers strike?
What happened during the PHCN strike? [ Ok, their own no matter sha]


Do you know their effects?
This is why you have primary school kids singing "HJSOPAJ34M98" as the alphabet and "L-for Pot, M for Apple, G for Basket, P for. . . .". Sad.

This is why you have primary school kids singing "HJSOPAJ34M98" as the alphabet and "L-for Pot, M for Apple, G for Basket, P for. . . .". Sad.

P for banana?

[size=4pt]I am laughing crazy here[/size]

I agree with Ileke-Idi, watching people die just cos you want better pay is no way to drive home a point!

Ileke-IdI:

So far, no one on this thread has claimed that Drs are different from the general population. If there's something you didnt understand from my post, dont hesistate to let me know. I'm always ready to break it down.

Now concerning the second part of your post, you need to understand the importance of your job and how it can affect the general population. If you want to strike, plz get a job as a gutter cleaner, it won't affect that much people. But we're talking about the medical sector.
Knowing that your action would ruin the lives of those you took a vowed to protect  their the lives, health, and well-being but yet not caring is selfish. I do not care how many of you dress the selfishness up, what it is . . . .is what it is.

What happened during policemen strike in Nigeria?
What happens during the teachers strike?
What happened during the Hausa producers strike?
What happened during the PHCN strike? [ Ok, their own no matter sha]


Do you know their effects?
This is why you have primary school kids singing "HJSOPAJ34M98" as the alphabet and "L-for Pot, M for Apple, G for Basket, P for. . . .". Sad.

@Ileke idi,read my lips,only a healthy (physical,mental and pocketwise) Dr is a good Dr.A labourer deserves his commensurate wages as the Bible dictates.If you compare the take home of Drs here with that of Ghana,South africa,Egypt,Botswana and Libya,you will marvel.The middle east offers greener pastures to experts who would hav contributed their quota to nation building.Notice that I did not compare the remunerations here with that in developed societies!
It might interest you to know that there are more Nig Drs practicing abroad than in Nig.The resultant brain drain has furthe reduced the quality of undergraduate and postgraduate medical training.How can nigerian Drs move in droves to Angola,Egypt and liberia?
The new generation Nig Dr must continue to fight his cause.The ruling class should be held responsible for any untoward effect of any strike embarked upon by Drs in Nig!

violent:

I agree with Ileke-Idi, watching people die just cos you want better pay is no way to drive home a point!

It is always difficult for non-Drs to understand.If your kid or ward is a medical student and you know the cost of training a Dr,your expectations will be high and you may not tolerate excuses.
The point is that the society expects a lot from an average Dr.We must continue to press home that point that Drs should be appropriately compensated.
The government should be held responsible for any loss of lives or permanent disability arising from this incessant strikes!

karl ken:

It is always difficult for non-Drs to understand.If your kid or ward is a medical student and you know the cost of training a Dr,your expectations will be high and you may not tolerate excuses.
The point is that the society expects a lot from an average Dr.We must continue to press home that point that Drs should be appropriately compensated.
The government should be held responsible for any loss of lives or permanent disability arising from this incessant strikes!

The government should not be held responsible, those who left their duty posts cos they want more money should be held responsible.

How much is ever going to be enough? when do we expect another strike from doctors?. . .I honestly think its sheer indolence and the government ought to have challenged the legality of the said strike at the court?

The doctors should have demanded for a system in place for consistent salary review in line with GDP figures and inflation.  You don't just wake up one day and scream "hey we want more money, else we go on strike and wouldn't care if babies die or not". . .that's blackmailing!

Should we expect a strike from the Nigerian Police just because the amount they are being paid is not consistent with the risk they take?

Should we expect a strike from Professors who worked all their life in Academia only to earn a wage that is over 200 percent below that of an average law-maker who is probably just a university graduate?

Should we expect a strike from Microbiologists, Biotech researchers, and other highly qualified specialists just because the society is being unfair to them in terms of wages?

Ileke-IdI:

Even tho I understand the grief that these doctors go through with the low wages, late payment and lack of modernized technologies in their facilities, I still believe that their strike was jut selfish and thoughtless.

These doctors have been on strike for months [3, I think]. What effect has their strike had on their patients? Are the nurses with limited medical knowledge seeing to their patients?

This is past ridiculous. Why don't they make it illegal for public employees like school faculties teachers, doctors, etc to strike?
Strike is going to continue nevertheless, no matter the agreement or compromise. Until they make it illegal, strike will continue to be a powerful tools.
That's why you have 4yrs schooling degree elongating to 7yrs schooling. Ridiculous.

Now you're thinking like a child.
Strike should be the last resort for those in such sensitive professions, but it is the ONLY weapon in their arsenal. We live under a Government that is insensitive to the needs of the populace. The only way to make these pampered clowns see reason is to employ Industrial action judiciously.

I don't give a damn about the elongation of academic tenures as a result of university strikes. The students and parents of the students are partly to blame that sorry situation. If they paid more attention to the quality of education they were paying for, they should be the ones on the front lines, not even the lecturers.
70% of the time, strikes in the University community comes about when the government reneges on agreements it has entered with lecturers and doctors. Instead of blaming these people, look no further than the Government.
It's also amusing that you freely condemn the lecturers. The strike lasted 3 months not because the doctors wanted to stay at home, but because that overhyped Fashola failed to do anything about it! Is there any indication that agreeing to their demands would bring the state to penury? No!
Blame all those dead people on Fashola and his advisers. But you people love your god-king-messiah Governor so much that you'd lie to yourself.

I wonder, if you were a landlord, would you reduce the rent for Doctors because 'their reward is in heaven'?

if any one think the strike is not justifiable or uncalled for, you are damn wrong. if you want to point an accusing finger. then it should be pointed to the government, common sense.

violent:

The government should not be held responsible, those who left their duty posts cos they want more money should be held responsible.

Yes! they want more money! They want to be able to pay their house rents, to be able to send their kids to good schools. They want to be comfortable.
And you know what? After they've spent over 7 years training to be doctors, after immersing themselves in blood and gore all in the name of medicine, after living through the trauma of seeing patients die on their hands until they become jaded, i'd say they deserve every damn penny of what they are asking for.

I have never seen nor heard of any Lagos landlord that reduced his house rent for a client as soon as the client indicated he was a medical doctor.

violent:

How much is ever going to be enough? when do we expect another strike from doctors?. . .I honestly think its sheer indolence and the government ought to have challenged the legality of the said strike at the court?

No. Lagosians should have risen to challenge the indifference of their elected Governor to the plight of the common man suffering from the strike. Three months! And you people keep on licking Fashola's rump! Pathetic.
Lagosians could troop to the State House in their thousands, yet they stand aside while the Governor did nothing to end the strike.

violent:

The doctors should have demanded for a system in place for consistent salary review in line with GDP figures and inflation.  You don't just wake up one day and scream "hey we want more money, else we go on strike and wouldn't care if babies die or not". . .that's blackmailing!

The bolded figure is similar to one of their demands. Naturally, your Governor ignored them.
They did not wake up one day and demand for more money. They pressed for concrete steps to close the gap between what they earn and what their counterparts in the federal government employ earn.

violent:


Should we expect a strike from the Nigerian Police just because the amount they are being paid is not consistent with the risk they take?

Should we expect a strike from Professors who worked all their life in Academia only to earn a wage that is over 200 percent below that of an average law-maker who is probably just a university graduate?

Should we expect a strike from Microbiologists, Biotech researchers, and other highly qualified specialists just because the society is being unfair to them in terms of wages?

To ensure fair treatment, i'd much rather these people use strikes as a weapon than have it all end in the bloody revolution this country needs to become more fair to the civil service and the suffering masses.
It is the duty of the Government to enter spirited negotiation and dialogue to head off these strikes before they happen.

What is NLC and the rest doing, is it cos of N1k or so that they are going on strike. Its better they fight for N30k or N50K at least for once and it would take them a long time to enjoy it before another demand.

now see them fighting for small money.

its horrible, hope NLC is not going political?

this country will keep experiencing strike action in as much the government continue with their insensitivity.

Too much money.

texazzpete:

Now you're thinking like a child.
Strike should be the last resort for those in such sensitive professions, but it is the ONLY weapon in their arsenal. We live under a Government that is insensitive to the needs of the populace. The only way to make these pampered clowns see reason is to employ Industrial action judiciously.

I don't give a damn about the elongation of academic tenures as a result of university strikes. The students and parents of the students are partly to blame that sorry situation. If they paid more attention to the quality of education they were paying for, they should be the ones on the front lines, not even the lecturers.
70% of the time, strikes in the University community comes about when the government reneges on agreements it has entered with lecturers and doctors. Instead of blaming these people, look no further than the Government.
It's also amusing that you freely condemn the lecturers. The strike lasted 3 months not because the doctors wanted to stay at home, but because that overhyped Fashola failed to do anything about it! Is there any indication that agreeing to their demands would bring the state to penury? No!
Blame all those dead people on Fashola and his advisers. But you people love your god-king-messiah Governor so much that you'd lie to yourself.

I wonder, if you were a landlord, would you reduce the rent for Doctors because 'their reward is in heaven'?

You put someone down for thinking like a child, yet blaming the govt, society and everyone else for not putting doctors on a pay pedestal undermines your claim to maturity. For instance to suggest that the Governor refused to negotiate is plain wrong.

Notwitstanding threats, intimidation, and blackmail - tools that these shameless doctors appear to have used to good effect in this case , a Governor must think carefully about agreeing to a 75% increase of anyone's salary, for the following reasons:

- can the state afford it
- does it make economic sense
- will workers from other sectors - teachers, nurses etc seek equanimity ie 75% or similar increase
- will it establish a precedence that is unsustainable in years to come.

In this case, and considering all the circumstances, particularly the unpleasant effect of a continuing doctors strike on the populace, the Governor has had to back down in the face of the doctors' blackmail. I think this is a necessary, if undesirable, step, but the doctors have not covered themselves in glory in this matter.


You also need to consider this -  nothing stops these doctors coming back in say 3 yrs time to ask for another 75% pay rise.

With every sector downing tools at will, if govt doesnt immediately yield to demands for ridiculously high pay increases, the Nigerian economy is sadly going to be in a mess for many years to come.

When is this revolving circle of every sector holding the rest of society to ranson going to end? I agree there should be a long term agreement around a moderate, affordable yearly pay rise.

Also, remember that Nigeria already spends almost 70% of its entire budget on paying salaries! Unbelievable, but true.

Doctors are usually among the most paid in most countries, this is a good move,

Yes Nigeria might be  spending 75% of her budget on salaries according to a poster but on salary of who? Is it d peanuts this doctors n workers generally are asking for or d billions been paid to d few in political offices. A senator of my dear country gets 10million naira every 4 years for car allowance not to talk of millions on monthly wardrobe allowance, furniture allowance. Nobody loves to c patients neglected not even doctors but d strike dragged for months because d people to take dis decision don't use dis hospitals. Assuming a child of d commissioner for health is in one of those hospitals, u would have seen massive response. Sincerely, This country is ,

the nurses will go on strike next.

Good move.

I hope they put other healthcare staff like nurses and lab scientist into consideration too.

I honestly hope the average pay for the top 25 percentile of Doctors is not more than 4 times that of the the top 25 percentile of and not more than 2 times the top 25 percentile of Lab scientist.

At the entry level, I would expect Doctor to Nurse pay ratio not to be higher than 2:1 and Doctor to Lab Scientist not more than 1.5:1.

Ileke-IdI:

Even tho I understand the grief that these doctors go through with the low wages, late payment and lack of modernized technologies in their facilities, I still believe that their strike was jut selfish and thoughtless.

These doctors have been on strike for months [3, I think]. What effect has their strike had on their patients? Are the nurses with limited medical knowledge seeing to their patients?

This is past ridiculous. Why don't they make it illegal for public employees like school faculties teachers, doctors, etc to strike?
Strike is going to continue nevertheless, no matter the agreement or compromise. Until they make it illegal, strike will continue to be a powerful tools.
That's why you have 4yrs schooling degree elongating to 7yrs schooling. Ridiculous.

hmmm. . . .  I commend you for the way in which you have chosen to approach this but I disagree with your point. It is the government to blame in this, not the doctors. The government hired the doctors to do a job for which it has refused to fairly compensate them. The government here has to take the blame, not doctors for trying to protect their interests.

Now that they have given them more money, they should be held more accountable. Many people die everyday in the hands of their loved once due to the doctor's negligence and they are still allowed to practice.

Congrats! but what took him so long before he could listen to them

People really get the kind of government they deserve.
To place the blame for the strike at the foot of the doctors is quite a naive view of the situation.
Do you know how many warning strikes are carried out before an indefinite one is called?these are to sensitise the public and the government about a brewing problem.
I'd have expected the people to demand accountability from their government once these ''warning shots'' are fired, but since it really doesn't cost lives people don't care.
more so its is common knowledge that Nigerian politicians takes things very personal and will see giving people their demands as a sign of weakness.the longer strikes go on, the more ego gets involved in decision making.
Fact is it isn't just the doctors, the nurses are underpaid and overworked, the pharmacists work in appalling conditions, the laboratories are poorly staffed and overstretched, theatres are nothing to write home about, the system is in a rot. Meanwhile your politicians gallivant outside the country to treat malaria. Really what is needed in Nigeria is a legislation to dissuade anyone seeking medical treatment abroad,these guys have enough money to bring all equipments to Nigerian hospitals.Ed miliband's wife delivered in an NHS hospital, the same one the factory hands will go to.
The real evil lies with the evil men in power, not with the striking doctors,or teachers or pharmacists

furacao:

Too much money.

How much? In Nigeria?

come to think of it, these guys were getting about 70-74% of CONMESS before, so in essence, some of them just got a 1% salary raise, and the govt will shout it to the high heavens now that they get 75% salary raise,this is deceit and an attempt to turn the public again the doctors.I wont be surprised if the strike continues,1% raise been cloaked as 75% raise wont make those guys happy at all.

All those people saying doctors should not strike are talking NONSENSE.

Look i am a doctor and i live and work in south africa. before i came here in 2008 i was earning N60000 per month in
Nija but here in SA doctors are earning upto 1M naira per month and they keep increasing the salaries every now and then YET the doctors here keep going on strike for better pay because they are comparing themselves with doctors in Australia, UK , US .
thats why nija doctors are rushing to SA like no mans business.

Doctors all over the world are the highest paid professionals but in nija this is not the case because nigerians dont appreciate the importance of doctors. In SA we are treated as kings.
after paying you plenty money, they go even give you two bedroom house with gaurd,
pay your water and electricity bills.
your salaries and allowances are paid regularly without delay
haba these southafricans sabi treat doctors well well abeg.

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Altough I agree that strike should only be a last resort, I cannot fault the Doctors. If they r selfish, then the govt is even more selfish. Just have a look at the NLC issue. Legislators that make 20 million a month are finding it difficult to approve an 18,000 per month minimum wage. Its a shame about all the people that died because of this strike. But the doctors are not to be held responsible, the government is.

We need to know were our priorities lie. How much does a banker make? Then how much does a doctor make? Is our money more important than our lives? The government knows how valuable Doctors are but still decides to treat them like sh*t. What do you expect? For them to keep taking it on the chin? Or to turn the other cheek? I'm sure most of the doctors will feel terrible about the strike, but they would also know that if they buckle to the pressure and go to work, the terrible policies will continue, so they have to be strong.

If strikes were made illegal then the govt will be able to treat civil servants anyway they like and this govt will definitely take advantage. Unless we r saying that Doctors should work for free, after all they are doctors??

I am more concerned about their experience. As far as I am concerned too many people in Nigeria die from medical mistakes. I do not have any problem with increasing their salaries. They also have to set a higher standard for the education of these physicians. I am tired of the trial and error medical practice that is so common in our country.