NMA Faults Sack Of 778 Doctors

The leadership of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), has said the recent sacking of 778 doctors in Lagos State is a  violation  of their rights to employment.

According to the NMA Chairman, Dr Nicholas Baamlong in a statement, the sacking of the Doctors is contrary to norms and laws of employment.

“This is an abuse and violation of the rights of doctors working with the Lagos State government” he declared.

Dr Baamlong said the Lagos State government had agreed to the Federal Government’s approved 2009 consolidated medical salary structure for the Doctors but had on several occasions failed to implement it.

The chairman of NMA added that all efforts by Medical and Dental Employees in Lagos under the guidance of the Lagos Medical Guild (LMG) to resolve the dispute between 2009 and 2010 failed.

He stressed that after a 14 week period of industrial action the State government agreed to pay the salary structure without any disadvantage to the medical and dental practitioners in 2011 but the government later released a circular that demoted doctors across all Grade levels to step one and two excluding Grade levels 10 and 12 from earning teaching allowance.

The chairman said that it was in response to the breach of the agreement that LMG resumed its suspended industrial action in February 2011, but the leadership of NMA and former Lagos State Governor, Chief Bola Tinubu brokered peace that led to the suspension of the strike, yet the State refused to implement the agreement one year after.

Dr Baamlong said in its final attempt to bring change, the Guild decided to embark on a three day warning strike in which time a considerable level of medical services were still rendered.

He said that in spite of several attempts by the union to intervene, government officials had not shown any serious interest toward resolving the matter, stressing that NMA condemned the actions of the State government particularly “the casualisation of the medical profession, the destruction of hierarchical structure and the use of armed security to occupy hospitals”.

“The NMA condemn the insensitivity show” by the state government and urge it to quickly address this issue to save the health sector from total collapse” he said.

Meanwhile, members of the civil society in Rivers State have appealed to the president Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Peter Esele to intervene in the face-up between the NMA and the Lagos State government.

Mr Ken Asuate urged the TUC President to appeal to the Governor of Lagos State to rescind the sacking of the Medical Doctors in the interest of good conscience.

He said Governor Fashola is a friend of the organised labour and civil society and therefore should respect their views.