Group Urge Diplomatic Missions To Refuse Medical Visas To Lagos State Officials

As civil society groups in Lagos State rally support for the 788 sacked medical doctors in the State civil service, the Joint Action Front (JAF), the civil society arm of labour has appealed to diplomatic missions in the country to henceforth stop officials of the Lagos

State Government from getting visas to travel out of the country on medical or health grounds until the crisis in the State health sector is fully resolved.

Few weeks ago, Governor Babatunde Fashola was said to have sent his dad abroad for the treatment of an undisclosed ailment while many residents of the State cannot access medical facilities in the State due to the prolonged crisis in the sector currently.

 
JAF Wednesday began sending the letters to the effect to all the missions in the country saying that it had enough information pointing to the fact that while the government officials and their relatives travelled abroad to get themselves treated at the expense of the taxpayers, the latter set of people are left to their fates while the government and doctors continue to slug it out.

JAF, which maintained that the decision to take the action and any other that would show the State Government of its seriousness was reached, said that its General Congress described the government as insensitive to the plight of the people who voted in the current government of Babatunde Fashola.

It said, to the organisation, it was criminal for anyone in the government of the State to embark on medical trips or that their relatives embark on such trips at this critical period.

While warning the State Government to stop waste of public funds, it urged the stakeholders in the health sector to resolve the crisis. It also advised the government to recall the sacked doctors.

It reminded the government that it had signed the agreement for which the doctors went on industrial action and urged it to be responsible in its actions.