Another Lagos Doctors' Strike Imminent.
A month after doctors under the aegis of the Nigeria medical Assoication, NMA, returned to work following suspension of a seven-week nationwide strike to press for Implementation of a 24-ponit demand by Federal government,indications have revealed that, the Lagos, the last may yet to have been heard about the strike.

Findings by Good Health Weekly show that the doctors returned to work in response to public appeals and the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in the country, and also with the understanding that no punitive measure would be taken against any doctor that took part in the stike. Indicators, however show that trouble is beginning to brew in Lagos as result of non payment of the August 2014 salaries of doctors who participated in the now suspended nationwide NMA strike.

Inverstigations show that in the other states of the Federation, all the doctors wjo participated in thestrike including arrears, but in Lagos, doctors in the state owned hospitals are crying foul in view of their with held salaries. Before now, the Nigerian public, politicians, and elders in the medical circle, appealed to the medical doctors to give government time to meet their demands to the letter by suspending their strike. The doctors who complied on the long run now feel let down that despite the sries if Nigerians the Lagos state government has not fulfilled its own part of the agreement. As a result the health sector may be thrown into another long drawn battle of there is no urgent intervention in the matter.

Further, Good Health Weekly investigations revealed that the affected doctors are yet to be paid not because the state government is short of funds but essentially because it (state government) is applying its 2012 policy of "No work No pay,"It was also gathered that already, contract medical doctors have all been paid their salaries from june to date including a few other employed doctors whom they government claimed were not involved in the strike. The doctors in Lagos who are alleging victimisation due to their involvement in the strike, are apprehensive that they may lose their September salaries to the bargain, even as the authorities allegedly claimed some of the affected doctors in the state were paid in error in June.

Unrelenting, the doctors have written several letters to the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, urging him to wase into the matter.

Appeal to Fashola
In one of such appeal letters made avaliable to Vanguard, the doctors, under the auspieces pf Medical Guild, appealed to Governor Fashola to intervene in the matter.Another letter applearently wrritten by the Lagos branch of the NMA entitled: Re; Letter of Appeal for Member of Medical Guild, the Lagos NMA called for intervention of the Governor."We write thos letter as a follow up to our previous letter dated 9th September, 2014 in which we appealed for your intervention on the above suject matter "Our colleagues in other states have received their emoluments forthe period of the national strike. A a leader with listening ears, we are hopeful that a favourable response on the issue will be received from the government."We have the assurance that your rare gesture of magnanimity will re-enforce a more positive relationship between the Lagos state government and its medical doctors'In another letter dated September 15 2014, entitled;"Casualisation of Medical Doctors in Lagos State and Payment of Two Months Outstanding Salary", the Lagos NMA expressed worry over what it described as casulisation their unhealthy development

They argued that considering the high level of trainings doctors undergo, the practice of casualisation should be stopped. In the letter, the doctors said they would appreciate if the locum doctors' employment is regularised.'Your Excellency Sir, We believe that as a professional, you will critically look into this towards regularising their appointments. The NMA will be eternally grateful if this anomaly can be addressed "We also believe that if this is not nipped in the bud, it may spread to other states and result in further unrest in the already charged health sector,"It was gathered that none of the letters to the Governor had been acknowledged ot replied.

Confirming the situation to Good Health Weekly, National Secretary , NMA, Dr Adewunmi Alayaki, stated that the National Officers Committee, NOC, of the NMA met last week and has written a letter of appeal to the Lagos state Governor, should please consider paying our doctors," he stated efforts to fet a response from the state government proved abortive proved abortive as at press time as neither the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris nor the Special Adviserto the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adesina were available to comment.