The
Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, may have sacked the doctors who
embarked on a strike since September 28, 2015.
The
state government on Wednesday placed a series of vacancy advertisements at the
state’s hospitals for interested doctors. The advertisement was aired on the
Osun State Broadcasting Corporation.
The
advertisement was signed by Sunday Olajide on behalf of the Head of Service,
Mr. Sunday Owoeye.
The
President of the Association of Resident Doctors, LAUTECH, Dr. Adeyinka
Owolabi, when contacted told our correspondent on the telephone that he was
also aware of the vacancy advertisement.
He
said, “We are still on strike. Nothing has changed but I heard the – government
advertising vacancies for doctor’s positions on the television. They are
promising them the stipends that we are rejecting.
“We
have approached the court before this and we are waiting for the date of the
hearing of the matter.”
The
Consultant to Osun State Government on Information, Mr. Sunday Akere, refused
to pick calls made to his telephone and also had yet to respond to the text
message sent to him on the matter.
However,
the Head of Service, Owoeye, confirmed the advertisement to our correspondent
in a response to the text message sent to his telephone by our correspondent.
Owoeye
replied, “True and Yes.”
Reacting
to the development, the Nigeria Medical Association asked medical doctors in
the country to shun the jobs advertised by the state government.
The
state Chairman of the NMA, Dr. Suraj Ogunyemi, who said this while speaking to
our correspondent on the telephone, said any doctor who appeared to be
interviewed for the jobs would be sanctioned.
Ogunyemi
said the national body of the NMA was in support of the steps being taken by
its Osun State chapter, saying the association would also sanction any doctor
who would sit on the panel of interviewers for the advertised jobs.
He
said, “Any medical or dental doctor who appears for the interview will be sanctioned
by the NMA. Any doctor in the ministry or hospital who sits on the panel to
interview any doctor will also be sanctioned.
“The
step taken by the state government is condemnable. The NMA condemns it in
strong terms. While everybody is trying to see that the crisis is resolved
amicably, the governor is trying to worsen the situation.”
Ogunyemi
accused Aregbesola of trying to set the state on fire with his utterances and
actions. He vowed that the NMA would frustrate Aregbesola’s attempt to replace
the striking doctors.
He
advised the governor to constitute his cabinet so that he might get competent
people to advise him on the right steps to take.
The
state government had given the striking doctors an ultimatum which expired on
January 11, 2016 after which it threatened that those of them who failed to
resume by Monday should consider themselves sacked.
The
governor, last Thursday, threatened that the civil service rule to this effect
would be implemented last Monday but this did not happen.
However,
the advertisement could be an indication that the governor had carried out his
threat.
The
doctors rejected half salaries which the state government was paying to all
workers and embarked on the strike after the expiration of the ultimatum.
Meanwhile,
the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria at the LAUTECH
Teaching Hospital on Wednesday started an indefinite strike at the expiration
of a seven-day ultimatum given the government.
The
Secretary of MDCAN, Dr. Tokunbo Olajumoke, confirmed this to our correspondent
on the telephone.
He
said, “The strike started at 8am this morning at the expiration of the
ultimatum. So, we are on strike.”
The
MDCAN had last week given an ultimatum to the government on “amputated
salaries” and resident doctors’ issues.
Source : The Punch
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