By AUSTIN OGWUDA, Asaba

ALL medical doctors in Delta State government-owned hospitals on temporary appointment who joined their colleagues in the on-going strike action have been told to regard their appointment terminated.

Similarly, doctors on permanent appointment that are on strike would not be paid while the action  lasts.

Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the state Ministry of Health, Mr. Churchill Oyowe, in a press release, at the  weekend, stated:”T he state government has adopted the policy of no-work-no-pay for all categories of doctors in government-owned hospitals currently on strike, under the name Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners.

“The government equally said all unconfirmed doctors joining the strike action have by such act terminated their appointment with the Hospital Management Board (HMB). The Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Otumara, gave these notices when he visited Central Hospitals Warri and Agbor as well as General Hospitals Ekpan and Orerokpe, to personally take count of doctors not on their duty posts.

“The Permanent Secretary’s enforcement of the signing of attendance register by doctors is a routine that is practised everywhere in the service and doctors should not see themselves as above the rules, stressing that the intention was to strengthen service delivery in the hospital”.

The association had, in a petition signed by its chairman , Dr. E.F. Oshonwoh and  secretary, Dr. R.O.C. Ikwuogu, stated that “the association in an emergency meeting at Baptist Hospital Eku on the 16th August, 2011, reviewed the Board (Hospital Management Board) policy on doctors signing time book and saw the deficiency in the said policy as it is not workable in a clinical setting.”

”The house without mincing words posited that a ten-working day ultimatum which will culminate in a strike action, starting from 16th August 2011 be given to the government. It will last till 2400 hours of