Sola Ogundipe and Chioma Obinna
4 January 2009
GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola has been enjoined to urgently wade into the looming crisis that is threatening to tear apart Lagos State healthcare delivery set-up.
The call came barely 48 hours to the commencement of the strike action called by the state branch of the Nigerian Medical Guild directing doctors employed by the Lagos State government to down tools as from tomorrow over irreconcilable differences with the state government.
Calling upon the governor yesterday while addressing the media on the doctors'strike, chairman of the Lagos State Branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Adedamola Dada, noted that only the governor's personal intervention could avert an imminent collapse of essential healthcare delivery services in the state.
Dada, who opined that, over the last two years, doctors employed by the state government had tried in vain to engage the leadership of the state ministry of health in discussion on the need to improve the standard of the health institutions, and address the acute shortage of all cadres of health personnel with the aim of improving health service provision, maintained that the impending strike was not about remuneration of doctors per se.
"We urgently call on Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to step into this matter and save the people of Lagos from this crisis by opening negotiations with the leadership of the Guild of the Lagos State employed doctors. Only the governor's personal intervention will save hundreds of lives and alleviate unnecessary suffering of the sick who patronize the hospitals in the state," he said.
According to the NMA boss, measures aimed at improving the welfare of employees had been forwarded to the state ministry of health without any response. Dada said it was important to make it clear that the strike is about improving quality of healthcare and that the NMA was willing to be an arbiter between the warring parties.
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