By Festus AHON, Ugheli
ACTIVITIES in public hospitals in Delta State have been crippled, following a three-day strike action embarked upon by medical doctors, nurses and other hospital workers in protest over the delay in the implementation of the new salary structure by the State Government.

Our correspondent who went round some hospitals in the State, reports that the hospitals were ghosts of their old selves, adding that all the hospitals were under locks  and keys as at the time of filing this report, yesterday.

One of the doctors who spoke to our correspondent at Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area of the State, said the State Government was insensitive to their plights.

The doctor who pleaded anonymity, said the new salary structure was approved by the Federal Government in October, 2009 and disclosed that the Federal Government started payment of the new salary in June with effect from January this year.

While saying that they had to discharge all their patients on Tuesday ahead of the commencement of the strike action on Wednesday, he lamented that effort by their union leaders to get the State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan to pay the new salary structure yielded no result hence the strike action.

Speaking further, the  source told the Saturday Vanguard that they would sustain the strike until their demands are met by the State Government and expressed shock that the State Governor who is a medical doctor could be so insensitive to the plight of his colleagues.