Doctors Begin Warning Strike

Doctors in public hospitals this morning withdrew their services in compliance with a directive of their association to embark on a five-day warning strike to protest government’s refusal to improve funding for the health sector.
The Nigeria medical Association, NMA, the umbrella association for all practicing doctors in the country last week ordered doctors to embark on strike over government’s poor funding of the health sector.
Investigations at most of the hospitals in Lagos today revealed that majority of the doctors complied with the directive.
At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, resident doctors were preparing for a crucial meeting to deliberate on their involvement in the strike. Some of the doctors were seen moving to the venue of the meeting. One of the doctors said in-patients would be minimally attended to patients would be turned back.
“We will continue to attend to in-patients, perhaps offering skeletal services, but out-patients would be turned back,” he said.
ARD President, Dr. Ugwu declined to comment on the strike.
NMA Lagos Chairman, Dr. Francis Faduyile, said the warning strike commenced today and will end on Sunday, after which a full-blown strike would commence on 5 January, 2014.

“What we presently have is a warning strike until next year when we would proceed on a full strike. This is because of the yuletide season,” Faduyile said.
Asked whether discussions have been initiated between the government and the doctors to avert a full-scale withdrawal of services, Faduyile responded in the affirmative.
Some doctors were however observed attending to in-patients, as well as those on appointments.
A patient, Akinsanmi Daudu, said he was scheduled to run four tests today and confirmed he had been attended to.
“The strike is suppose to start today but the doctors have been kind. They are running helter-skelter to see how they could assist us,” he said.
A woman, who declined to give his name said she her son, admitted to Ward A3, had also been attended to.
At Ikorodu General Hospital doctors were observed rendering skeletal services to patients. Attempts to speak with the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Idowu M. B., was unsucessful as he refused to comment on the strike.
A doctor who did not want his name in print said doctors in Lagos State hospitals will not join the warning strike because they are not working for the Federal Government.
According to him, the doctors working for the state government will wait for the strike to unfold.
“We will wait for events to unfold. You have to understand that we have an association, the Medical Guild, comprising doctors under the pay roll of the Lagos Government and it is when the leadership of the Guild calls a strike that we will join.”
At the Ikeja and Isolo general hospitals, doctors were observed working but most of them said they would join the strike later.