By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo
Medical doctors in Lagos public hospitals, under the aegis of Medical Guild, are to meet today at the Malaria Research Centre of the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja to review the “mutual agreement” they had with the state government as a basis for the suspension of their 14 week old strike.

However, the promise made by the state government as part of the mutual agreement reached, it was gathered, was yet to be implemented as at yesterday.  Vanguard was told that the state government did give assurance that it would meet their demands by today (Friday).

It would  be recalled that the leadership of Medical Guild in Lagos on Sunday announced the suspension of the 14 week old strike for a period of five days ending today, to allow the state government implement the “mutual agreement” newly reached at their last meeting.

They embarked on an indefinite strike on August 16th to demand for a 100 percent implementation of  the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, among others.

When contacted, yesterday, Chairman of the state Medical Guild, Dr. Ayobode Williams, who announced the suspension, said the group  had  confidence that the state government would fulfil  its  part of the bargain as earlier promised.

When asked what would be the action of the guild in the event of any failure to meet their demands,  Dr. Williams said that the members were not seeing any possibility of the state government failing on the matter. He said: “We have to give them the benefit of doubt.”

Commissioner commends doctors, stakeholders

Meanwhile, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, has lauded the roles played by various stakeholders including Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State,  former governors, members of the state House of Assembly, elder statesmen, senior clergymen, senior medical practitioners and well meaning Lagosians, in bringing to an end the strike  embarked upon by the doctors.members of the Medical Guild in the state.

Idris who also thanked members of the Medical Guild for calling off the strike action commended the efforts of medical doctors and other health workers who worked tirelessly round the clock during the period of the strike action and apologized to the people of the state for the break in the provision of qualitative health services in public hospitals occasioned by the strike action assuring that government will do everything within it power to ensure that public hospitals are not grounded by any industrial action in future.

He reiterated government’s commitment to the improvement of healthcare services in the state through the development of infrastructure as well as improved condition of service for the manpower.

Idris said; “The commitment and passion of Governor Fashola to leave a legacy of a health sector that can be benchmarked against international best practices and standards are evident in the priority government accords issues that are relevant to the sector.”

He pointed out that countrywide, the health sector was beset with challenges and Lagos State by virtue of its peculiarities was particularly faced with more than its fair share stressing that addressing these challenges, was not a task that could be handled by the government alone as everyone had a role to play including the Doctors themselves.

Dr Idris added that in the light of what had occurred in the last couple of weeks, the onus was on the health family as a whole to search for positive ways to constructively address the challenges to the benefit of the citizenry at large and the health workforce.

The commissioner stressed that the pivot for progress remains teamwork adding that the recent event called for renewed commitment on both sides.

“I wish to reassure the entire health family and the people of Lagos State that every effort will be made to forestall a repeat occurrence by ensuring that all avenues for dialogue are accessible to facilitate the continued improvement and progress in the State’s health sector,” Idris noted.

However, further to the meeting held on Friday November 19th 2010 at the office of the Head of Service, Lagos State, the agreement paper sent to the Guild by the state government read thus:

“A; With effect from January 2011, the state government will implement the mutual agreement on wage review which will place doctors in the state health institutions on the same level with officers in other health institutions.

B. “Based on the Medical Guild request the state government has significantly reviewed Doctor Ibrahim Olaifa’s case towards a positive outcome.

C. “The Medical Guild request for the payments of salary arrears will be considered with the same spirit as the implementation of salary review.

D. That the request for the payment of withheld salaries, September and October 2010 is currently being reviewed with a positive outlook.

E. “The complaints by the Guild on arbitrary taxation will be reviewed and corrected.

F. The issue of check_up dues for medical guild and resident doctors has been resolved with the payment of outstanding deductions on behalf of the two associations

G. “No officer will be victimized for his involvement in the strike action.