Patients, who went to the various Federal Government-run health institutions in Enugu, Enugu State, for treatment were monday turned back as medical doctors attached to such institutions had commenced a one-week strike in sympathy with their colleagues at the state government hospitals.

The affected health institutions are the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), National Orthopaedic Hospital and Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, all located in the state.

Also, some of the medical doctors, who reported for duties, were equally prevented from offering services by officials of the state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) who went round to ensure that the strike order was complied with.

THISDAY checks revealed that the industrial action was ordered by the national leadership of the NMA to enable doctors in the federal health institutions to sympathise with their colleagues in Enugu State government-owned hospitals, who have been on strike since December 1, last year.

The medical doctors in the state-owned hospitals proceeded on strike following the inability of the state government to implement the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

Meanwhile, dental practitioners on the payroll of the state government, who had earlier refused to embark on the indefinite strike, have also decided to down tools after the 21-day ultimatum issued to the state government elapsed.

The National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), Enugu State branch, said it was now obliged to join the strike.

The state NAGGMDP Chairman, Dr. John Chukwuani, said yesterday that the action became necessary since the state government had notified them that it would no pay their salaries with effect from February 2011.

"The complimentary staff that we should be working with have been on strike for about two weeks now. Even at that, we have been coming to work, but we eventually can't do anything because the doors leading to the pharmacy, the store and laboratories are usually under lock and key.

"The situation became worse when the government wrote to us that they were stopping our salary with effect from February 2011, which contravenes the labour law. The labour law says, that salary of workers who embark on a legal strike can only be stopped after 90 days if they fail to call it off," he stated.

Chukwuani further stated that the NMA, which ordered the strike is an umbrella body for all health institutions in Enugu, saying "if the court could stop them (NMA) then we would automatically be stopped."

Confirming the medical doctors' strike in all federal hospitals in the state yesterday, Chief Medical Director of National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Dr C.B. Eze, said it was in line with the directive from the national body of NMA, stressing that "our doctors have to join the strike because they are members of NMA".

He said there was nothing to do at the moment than to wait for a counter directive from the medical body, which he said was in sympathy with their counterparts in Enugu, who had been on strike since December last year.

At the UNTH, Ituku Ozalla, the situation was the same as patients were seen taking their sick relatives to private hospitals in the state.

Chief Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr. Cyril Keleze, told reporters that the doctors were on sympathy strike over the plight of their colleagues in the state-owned hospitals, who had been on strike for some time now.

"Our doctors have joined the strike this morning (yesterday). NMA called doctors in Enugu to go on sympathy strike with their colleagues in the state-owned hospitals. The sympathy strike lasts for one week. Our doctors are members of the NMA and so decided to join," Keleze said.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke, had explained that the strike by the doctors in the state was illegal since the National Industrial Court had restrained them from embarking on the industrial action.

He said: "There is a court order restraining the doctors from embarking on any strike, whatsoever. If they embark on the strike, then it would become clear that they are no longer interested in rendering their service to the state."

Meanwhile, the NMA said the state government had withheld the salaries of their members in the state-owned hospitals for refusing to return to their duty posts as ordered by the court.

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201103010083.html

I'm starting to think that these unions are a big part of the problem in Nigeria

Where are those people defending doctors, how can Federal doctors go on sympathy strike when they are in charge of lives and they are not being owed, are they going to be paid for the one week they are off duty? People will notice that Governors who have other priorities are having issues with the demand of the doctors, Chime has other people he needs to cater to as well.