Striking doctors call for robust engagement with Lagos government

News Agency Of Nigeria

July 14, 2020 4:22 PM

The Medical Guild has appealed to the Lagos State Government to ensure proper engagement with doctors toward resolving the issues that led to their three days warning strike.

The Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, flanked by his colleagues at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday, July 12, 2020. [channelstv]

Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, the Guild Chairman, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

“We still remain committed to peaceful resolution of issues that we have raised with the state government.

“Our position is that there is a need for proper engagement, negotiations and implementation of agreements, in order to make progress in the state’s health sector,” Sodipo said.

According to him, part of the challenges that led to the present situation is the refusal of some government officials to engage the Guild, in spite of its concerted efforts to engage them.

On the state government position on the Guild’s grievances, Sodipo said that some of the issues referred to in the government’s statement were not correct.

“We feel that the statement was not in the spirit of the efforts of the Medical Guild to deescalate the situation, and get solution to the critical issues raised,” Sodipo said.

He affirmed that the meeting held with the state government on July 12, ought to have taken place before then to avert the current situation.

“There was an acknowledgment from the state government side during the meeting that there ought to have been more engagements with the Guild to avert the strike.

“We had an agreement after the meeting with the government to take the resolution to the Guild Council, we intend to hold a meeting on July 14.

“However, members of the Guild are worried that government was not ready to discuss some of the critical issues raised by the Guild, and unfortunately that was the picture painted in the press release,” he said.

Sodipo expressed optimism that the critical issues raised by the Guild would be discussed with the relevant officials, negotiated and communicated to the state Governor with the hope of resolving the impasse.

He, therefore, appealed to the state government to shift ground on pending critical issues that affects health workers, citizens and development of the health sector.

NAN recalled that doctors under the aegis of the Medical Guild had on July 13 commenced a three-day warning strike that would end on July 16 over issues that affects their safety and welfare.

The Guild, however, exempted its members working in the state’s COVID-19 isolation centres from the strike.

Reacting to the warning strike, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, had urged the doctors to suspend the warning strike and return to work.

Omotoso said that the state government was disappointed at the warning strike embarked upon by the Guild.

He said that most issues raised by the Guild had been resolved, while unresolved issues were still being deliberated upon.

News Agency Of Nigeria