Sacked Lagos Doctors: Federal Government doctors begin solidarity strike

Edamisan Temiye, NMA Chairman in Lagos State

Federal Hospital Doctors are to embark on an indefinite solidarity strike beginning today, following a directive from the Lagos state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association to all doctors in federal government hospital in Lagos.

Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Temiye Edamisan, who announced the decision on Thursday, said the strike was to protest against the sacking of 788 medical doctors by the state government.

Edamisan said the strike would continue until the sacked doctors were recalled by the state government.

He said, “We are withdrawing services till the state government recall the sacked doctors and start a genuine dialogue and negotiation.

“This is to fight injustice and we are pained to do this.”

Some of the affected hospitals include Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH; National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi; Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Meta; Federal Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba.

Patients who may want to go to federal healthcare centres and hospitals may have to go elsewhere to get treatment, as the strike will affect admission of new patients into all the hospitals in Lagos.

The President of the LUTH chapter of the Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Adetunji Adenekan, said doctors in federal hospitals would be withdrawing their services from the emergency units.

He added that the association would use all available measures to protest the sacking of the doctors.

He said, “We will embark on a statewide solidarity strike action which will commence by 08:00hours on Friday, 18th of May, 2012.

“All emergency wards would be shut down. We will not admit new patients. Only patients that are already in the wards would be taken care of during this indefinite strike. “Our view is that an injustice to one is an injustice to all.”

5 COMMENTS

  1. SACKED LAGOS STATE MEDICAL DOCTORS:-
    We all curse and kick against d activities of boko haram bcos they fight against western education. Intellectuals are always very selfish in their decisions when in government. Politicians are worst in the act.
    I tried blaming Dr Jide Idris for his inability to fight for his immediate constitutuency,especially those friends he has to import from abroad to show patriotism. On a second thought, one remembers the law of collective responsibility that could incapacitate him and then allow government to have his way.
    God will fight the cause of the poor masses of this nation.

  2. Indeed, injustice to one is injustice to all. Fashola and his God father spent lavishly on a sixty birthday celebration that benefit no Lagosian with taxpayers money. There was an agreement which Lagos government was a party to. In the interest of fairness, the govt should implement that agreement as other states have done. Don’t you see, that if lagos government is allowed to get away with this, no other group in this state would be able to hold successful strikes anylonger. kudos! federal Government doctors, your labour of love will not be in vain.