Government blames doctors' strike on politics

L to R: Medical Guild Chairman, Ayobode Williams, NMA's First Vice Chairman, Johnson Emene, and LASUTH ARD president, Saliu. Photo: GBENRO ADEOYE

The Lagos State Government, yesterday, blamed the current strike by doctors on politics, and appealed to Lagos residents to "stand by the people-centred administration of Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola in its resolve to ensure a speedy checkmating of the criminal sabotage veiled as industrial dispute."

The doctors embarked on an indefinite strike over the weekend, blaming state government for not implementing any of the agreement reached before suspending the last 14-week strike. Three main issues of contention are the unconditional reinstatement of the immediate past chairman of the Medical Guild, Ibrahim Olaifa; the full implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS); and the downward review of the doctors' taxes.

The PDP's influence

The state government, in a press statement signed by the governor's Senior Special Assistant on Media, Hakeem Bello, accused Mr Olaifa of using his influence on the medical association to disrupt peace in Lagos. "One of the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party for the House of Representatives in Oyo State is the same Dr Ibrahim Olaifa who is at war with the good people of Lagos State," said Mr Bello. "He apparently has vowed to use his influence over the Medical Guild to paralyse our medical centres till the governorship polls hold in April, cause public anger and disaffection against our government to facilitate an ignoble fantasy of PDP victory in Lagos State. It is rather unfortunate that the Medical Guild does not want to be guided by law in its agitation for the review of the dismissal of Mr Olaifa.

Dr Ibrahim Olaifa was employed by the government; and one of the conditions of employment is that as a civil servant, he is barred from giving information to the general public on matters concerning subjects under his purview unless so authorized. And in the particular instance, Dr Olaifa applied for sick leave, and while on sick leave, he was seen on television stoking industrial action. A Personnel Management Board was subsequently set up and which Dr Olaifa requested legal representation to appear before. He thereafter challenged the subsequent outcome in court. Since this case is still in court, it would be sub-judicial to take any action that might run in contempt of the Court."

Not enough money

On the salary review, the statement said the salaries of the doctors have already been reviewed on the same day Mr Fashola assented to the 2011 Budget. "The breakdown of what Lagos is offering is for the lowest level who moved from N111,649.48 to N173,927.33; level 12 moved from N127,965.07 to N225,519.33; level 13 moved from N142,333.36 to N261,107.25; level 14 moved from N156,768.67 to N304,235.50; level 17 (generalist) from N246,636.91 to N534,594.66; level 17 (highest level consultant) from N353,647.33 to N683,671.60," the statement said.

However, the review fell short of the medics' expectation of 100 percent implementation of the new salary structure. For this, the government said "Lagos State has 11,862 health workers in its employment, the largest by any state in the federation. Lagos is the industrial and commercial capital of Nigeria, hence a lot of caution must be considered in taking a decision with high propensity to cause spirals of inflation and agitation across all sectors."