By Austin Ogwuda

Asaba-ALTHOUGH the strike action embarked upon by medical doctors in Delta State has been called-off, hundreds of job seeking medical doctors turned out on the premises of the state Hospital Manage-ment Board, HMB, yester-day, for interview.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Otumara, insisted, Thursday, that those doctors who joined in the strike, whose appointment were yet to be confirmed, had been automatically relieved of their appointment and would be replaced after the ongoing recruitment exercise.

Otumara, who spoke to Vanguard in Asaba through his Public Relations Officer, Mr. Churchill Oyowe, said the other category of doctors on permanent appointment who participated in the strike would forfeit their pay for the period the strike lasted, pointing out that punishment had to be meted out in view of the fact that lives were lost due to the strike.

Otumara said: “Doctors called off their strike on September 13. They resumed work on September 14, but the planned recruitment of new doctors to replace doctors on probation, who joined the strike is going on at Hospital Management Board, HMB.

“The place is currently crowded with applicants. Applicants from Delta South and Central were interviewed yesterday, while those from North will take their turn today.”

According to the Commissioner, except a higher authority says otherwise, the doctors on probation stand sacked while the permanent ones will forfeit their pay for the period they went on strike.