The Lagos State Government has recalled its sacked doctors to work, following intervention from principal members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Addressing journalists after an indoor meeting on Thursday, Governor Babatunde Fashola and ACN chieftain, Bola Tinubu, said it was necessary to resolve the crisis in the state health sector for the sake of residents.
The meeting was prompted by the National and State Council of ACN.
Fashola said that the State Health Service Commission had agreed to the immediate suspension of the doctors’ dismissal.
“It is now left for the doctors to return to their locations and to regularise their status with the health service commission. I hope that in the interest of our people, they will seize this opportunity of this olive branch and let us get on with the developmental work that we are tasked with at this time,” he said.
The state government had earlier dismissed 788 striking doctors from its employment, following their failure to answer queries issued to them after embarking on a three-day warning strike.
Consequently, the issue further escalated after federal doctors Lagos embarked on an indefinite solidarity strike in support for their dismissed colleagues.
Also, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), on Thursday, began a three-day warning strike in Teaching hospitals across the country to force the Lagos State government to revert the sack order.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) also threatened to embark on a national strike over the issue.
Expressing his gratitude to ACN party leaders and Labour organisations for their role in resolving the dispute, Fashola assured that the issues were “disputes about institutions and nothing more.”
Earlier in his speech, Tinubu said he had visited Fashola at the instance of the party’s leadership, who were concerned about the degeneration of the state’s health sector.
He added that he had urged Fashola to be “more flexible” as the situation was not unsolvable.
“I can announce to you that he has agreed to suspend the question of the dismissal of those doctors. While we must work hard and be committed to build our institutions, to develop our people, to prioritise the welfare of our people, because all along, I have not seen the problem where we don’t have resolution. He has agreed to suspend the dismissal and advised that they should go back to their work,” said Tinubu.
Meanwhile, the affected doctors, under the aegis of Medical Guild, said they were yet to receive an official letter of recall from the government.
Olumuyiwa Odusote, the Medical Guild chairman, who accused the state government of “politicising the crisis”, said nothing would be achieved without an official letter from the government.
The Association’s secretary, Idris Durojaiye, added that the doctors would tread cautiously on the issue.
“Even after writing to us, we have look to at the conditions to know if it’s favourable to us or not, so that we don’t start crying after one month again,” he said.
On the pending court case involving the two parties, Durojaiye said their lawyer would have to be involved in any new negotiation that takes place with the government.
“Part of the case in court is full implementation of the Consolidated Mediacal Salary Scale (CONMESS), and the issue of dismissal; so if one is out of it, we will look at the others,” he added.