Medical doctors
Due to disruptions in healthcare services by practitioners, patients seeking medical care in Lagos State government-owned hospitals were stranded as the Medical Guild began a three-day warning strike over irreconcilable differences with the state government.
The Medical Guild, which is the body of doctors employed by the Lagos State government, is protesting what it described as “illegal and disrespectful” salary deductions by the government.
The Guild, however, demand the immediate reversal of July salary cuts and full payment of 12 months’ arrears owed to honorary consultants under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS.
The strike, which commenced yesterday morning, and is scheduled to run through the morning of Thursday, July 31, was called following ratification by the body of doctors at an emergency congress held, weekend.
The Medical Guild, in a statement on its X handle, said the action followed repeated breaches by the government to honour the agreements.
Officials of the Medical Guild stated that the action followed failed attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue, warning that failure to meet the demands could lead to an indefinite strike, after a 21-day ultimatum that would follow the warning strike.
“We are prepared to escalate our measures if the government does not respond swiftly. The welfare of our members and the integrity of the health system are at stake,” an official noted.
A message to all the Guild members read: “To all Medical Guild members, we urge full compliance with the three-day total warning strike. Our monitoring and strike enforcement team will be on patrol to ensure adherence. Sanctions will be implemented for non-compliance.”
The General Hospitals at Isolo and Alomosho, the Lagos state University teaching hospital, LASUTH has skeletal services as the outpatient clinics were shut.
According to a nurse at one of the hospital, only one consultant doctor had been begged to come in.
“The doctors are on strike. We only begged one of our consultants to come, and she’s on her way. I don’t even know the time she’ll get here. Even on a normal day, she doesn’t come early. If she makes it, she will only attend to a few people—she cannot see a crowd,” the nurse announced.
She advised patients without prior appointments to consider rescheduling their appointments, saying the likelihood of being attended to at the hospital was slim.
The state government had appealed for calm and urged the Guild to suspend the strike.
