Doctors' Strike: Lagos Hires 155 New Doctors

LAGOS, Nov 12, (THEWILL) - The on-going strike by the medical and dental officers under the aegis of the Medical Guild today took a new dimension as the Government of Lagos State disclosed that it has hired about 155 new doctors and pharmacists amongst others to provide healthcare services to residents of the state.

This was revealed by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris at the induction of the newly employed doctors at the complex of Lagos Island Maternity Hospital barely four days after the leadership of Medical Guild rejected the planned 75 percent implementation of the consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS). At the induction were the Special Adviser on Health, Hon. Toyin Amzat; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Hospital Management Commission, Dr. Funmilayo Olatunji; and all the management members of the commission where Idris tasked the new doctors to discharge their duties responsibly and dutifully.

At the induction, the commissioner said the employment of the medical officers had nothing to do with the on-going strike by the members of the Medical Guild, an association of the state medical and dental officers.

He said the new doctors “are not meant to replace the striking doctors in the state. Their employment does not have anything to do with the on-going strike by the members of the Medical Guild.” But the commissioner said the state government had planned to employ more medical and dental personnel to improve healthcare delivery in the state before the strike. He called the striking doctors to come to the negotiation table with the state government adding that a good number of retired medical and dental personnel “have volunteered to help the state government to cushion the effect of the on-going strike.

Of the 155 medical officers newly employed, Idris said 10 were medical consultants, stating that the rest are pharmacists and doctors, whom he said, would operate at the state secondary healthcare sectors.