How patients die daily in Lagos due to doctors strike

There a saying that where two elephants fight the grass suffers .The words of elders has come to manifest in Lagos the ‘centre of excellence’ as ordinary members of the society in Lagos who cannot afford exorbitant bills being charged at private hospitals are at the receiving end of the face-off between Lagos state government […]

There a saying that where two elephants fight the grass suffers .The words of elders has come to manifest in Lagos the ‘centre of excellence’ as ordinary members of the society in Lagos who cannot afford exorbitant bills being charged at private hospitals are at the receiving end of the face-off between Lagos state government and the striking doctors.

In the past few months, the state government and the doctors at the state owned hospitals have engaged in hide and seek game and failed to reach a truce over the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) approved for the doctors on the pay role of the Federal Government. The Babatunde Fashola led administration accused the doctors of trying to hoodwink the state government and refused to participate in what it described as holistic strategy that would cater for all employees, the professionals and even political office holders in the state.

Speaking on the issue, the spokesman for Lagos state government, Bamidele Opeyemi said the medical doctors had remained uncompromising and unyielding. Their action, according to him, “Compelled the state government to file a suit against them at the National Industrial Court (NIC). Despite the pronouncement of the Presiding Judge for them to suspend their strike action and engage Government in further negotiations, the doctor’s has refused to shift ground.”

Oodua Trust recalled that hundreds of patients who visited Lagos State University of Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in the morning of Monday August 23rd, 2010 heaved a sigh of relief after the National Industrial Court (NIC) intervened in the face-off between the state government and the striking doctors in the state over the implementation of the controversial Consolidated Medical Salary Structure directing the doctors to suspend their strike action and engaged the state government in further negotiations.

On this day, the embittered doctors have suspended their industrial action and patients, mostly women and children trooped to the premises of LASUTH to meet doctors and get relief of their pains. However, the suspension did not last long as expected. By Saturday August 28th, the doctors had resumed the strike action once again and the patients were left in the cold.

Bamidele who doubles as the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy accused the doctors of trying to hoodwink the state government saying, “Rather than participate in this holistic strategy that would cater for all employees, the professionals and even political office holders in the State, the medical doctors remained uncompromising and unyielding.”

Their action, according to him, “compelled the State Government to file a suit against them at the National Industrial Court (NIC) adding that despite the pronouncement of the Presiding Judge for them to suspend their strike action and engage Government in further negotiations, they barely suspended the strike for six days – Sunday, 22nd to Friday, 27th August 2010; and, in outright contravention of Court Order and directive by their national body, resumed the strike on Saturday, 28th August 2010.”

While the dispute between the government and the doctors continue, the former threatened to sack all striking medical doctors on its pay role, if they failed to return to work. A deadline was set by the government for the striking doctors to resume work or face sack. The doctor’s remained adamant but the government could not make good the threat as the strike continues and innocent citizens of the state keep dying on daily basis.

The Commissioner explained that the state government was not oppose to a review of salaries but argued vehemently that such a review must be done through a negotiated process and not predicated on the adoption of the Federal Government pay structure.

He lamented that a lot of citizens were been denied access to meaningful medical care as a result of the strike action, adding that the government has shown considerable restraint and sensitivity in handling the crisis in order to achieve speedy resolution.

Thereafter, the state governor directed an implementation of a 75% of the CONMESS in order to prevent further loss of lives and protect the welfare of the citizens of the state.  He also promised to review the dismissal of Dr Ibrahim Olaifa, the Chairman of the State Medical Guild. After this action, the governor expects that the Medical Guild would reciprocate the gesture by immediately calling off the strike.

However, the Chairman of the Lagos state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Edamisan Temiye, and his counterpart on the state chapter of the Medical Guild, Dr Ayobode Williams, insisted that the Fashola government has refused entreaties to enter into negotiation with the doctors. He added that the failure of their group to reach a peaceful resolution through the Industrial Court could be blamed on the refusal of the government to begin the process of negotiation with the doctor’s union as ruled by the court.

The striking doctors stated further that until a document that would be duly signed by the government on the contentious CONMESS is seen, the association would not be blackmailed or coerced into calling off the strike action.

Reacting to the 75% CONMESS implementation by the state government, the Vice-Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr Taofeek Majolagbe explained to Oodua Trust that his group will not accept 75% but 100% implementation of the new salary structure. He argued that during the meeting between the government and the striking doctors last Monday at the State Secretariat, 75% increase was put forward by the negotiating team but the doctor’s rejected it out rightly.

Majolagbe argued that the state government had refused to show them the breakdown of the 75% and what is contained in the increment before offering them. “Although they offer us 75% of the CONMESS, it is not acceptable to us; we need 100%. We have rejected the offer,” he said, meaning that the strike continues.

On government’s decision to review the case of the sacked former Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa, Majolagbe said the state government is playing politics with the issue. He said the government have never been sincere on this issue noting that several review of the case of the sacked former chairman of his group have never come to a reality. He explained that the government has been promising to review the case since 2009 without doing anything about it.

Investigations revealed that while the government officials and representatives of the striking doctors engaged in bulk passing on the issue, all the state owned hospitals have remained deserted. Patients have moved en-masse to various private hospitals and clinics that dotted Lagos. It was observed that the few patients found at the premises of Agege General Hospital and Isolo General Hospital are those patients who do not have the financial power to cross to private hospitals.

It was also gathered that many patients lost their lives as a result of the prolong strike.

According to Mr. Sharafa Ashafa ,  his son almost gave up the ghost at a private hospital due to the refusal of the state government  and the doctors to end the on-going strike action over salary increment. He argued that absence of doctors from the government hospitals where they have qualified doctor made him to take his son to private hospital for appendicitis operation and the young man almost gave up the ghost for lack of necessary facilities and manpower.

Narrating his ordeal, Mr Ashafa said: “My boy has just returned from camp where he served as Youth Corper.   Just two or three days after he returned home, he complained of abdominal pains. Within two days, the pain has become worse and we rushed him to Agege General Hospital. On getting there the nurses on duty told us that doctors were on strike. They advised that we take her to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) or any private hospital we know.

“LUTH is far from where we live at  Oko-Oba, Agege.  Therefore, we decided to take him to a nearby hospital there at Agege. At this private hospital, we were told surgery must be performed on him and I became afraid. I don’t trust competence of the doctors at this hospital but when LASUTH and Agege General Hospital have been deserted by the doctors. I accepted the fate.

“They took him to the theatre for the surgery. It was then we knew the hospital did not have a useful generator. The hospital rely mainly on this small ‘I pass my neighbour type of generator. It was disgusting and frustrating. It was then I realized there was no electricity in that hospital. They struggled to put on the little thing for about an hour, it doesn’t start.  I blamed our governor and the striking doctors at this juncture. They have let down all the ordinary citizens in this state. I have to take my son to another private hospital where it cost me fortune to save my son,” he said.

The seven weeks old strike action by doctors in Lagos state owned hospitals  has continued to claim the lives of many Lagosians who rely on the health services provided by these hospitals. Since the strike commenced in August activities at the hospitals have been crippled as they have turned to ghost centres.

Shola Abbey who hails from Kogi State recounted her experience regarding the doctor’s strike at Lagos state owned hospitals.  According to her, she brought her aged father to Lagos for better medical attention.  As at the time our correspondent met her at Hamkard Hospital , Abule-Egba, Lagos , she regretted bringing the old man to Lagos , saying she is considering taking her father home because she could’nt afford to continue payment being demanded at the private hospital.

She said, “The doctors have stopped attending to my father, I have been thinking of transferring him to another hospital or take him back to our home state. Everything is money-money at private hospital and people are coming more than the available bed. The only option left for me now is to take him home and look after him myself.”

The experience of Mrs. Abbey is the same with others in Lagos as observed after visiting few private hospitals. The citizens who have been used to qualitative services at these state owned hospitals are blaming the state government for not reaching a positive agreement with the striking doctors.  They lament the sufferings they now undergo in search of qualitative medical care at cheaper, if not free, as the state government officials used to say.

However, various groups and eminent personalities in the state have intervened one way or the other but both sides still remained carefree about the consequence of their action. One citizen who speaks with a group of journalists on the issue is the Chairman of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, Chief Henry Ajomale.

Ajomale has urged the doctors to show patriotism assuring the leadership of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) that the government is open to dialogue. “A lot of people are dying in the hospitals due to the strike. It concerns us because we are citizens of Lagos. We have human feelings. We are not blaming anybody, but we appeal to the striking doctors to go back to work. When they go back, the sufferings of the ordinary people will reduce.”