Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf
Aregbesola, may have ordered the stoppage of salaries of doctors in the
employment of the state government over the strike which started
since September 28, 2015.
Investigation by our correspondent in
Osogbo on Sunday revealed that while some categories of workers had
been paid October and November salaries, doctors have not been paid for
the month October.
The state government had threatened to
sack all the striking doctors if they failed to resume work on December
25. The doctors dared the governor but the next step which will be
taken by the governor is not know yet.
However some doctors, who spoke to our
correspondent said they were ready to be sacked than to treat their
patients with divided attention.
The President of the Association of
Resident Doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology,
Osogbo, Dr. Adeyinka Owolabi, confirmed to our correspondent that
doctors had not been paid since October.
Owolabi, who said doctors would not
accept half salaries like other workers in the state because their
salaries were the least among doctors through the country and they were
being forced to pay the highest taxes.
The ARD president said it was dangerous
to ask hungry doctors to be attending to patients, saying many doctors
had become laughing stock because of their inability to meet their
obligations.
Owolabi said, ” It is true that the
state government has stopped our salaries. I am not sure if there was a
circular to that effect but we did not receive October and November
salaries alerts like other workers.
“There is no end in sight to the strike.
The salary is the main cause of this strike and we can never accept
half salaries because we are not going to give our patients half
treatment. The government is adamant and we are also not going to shift
ground on this.”
Owolabi, however, stated that the
doctors would reconsider their position if the state government could
sign a document that they were owing doctors half salaries and state
when the balance would be paid.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Medical
Association in Osun State, Dr. Suraj Ogunyemi, said the striking doctors
and the state government had remained adamant on the issues.
Ogunyemi, who said he thought the state
government would have found a solution to the strike problem before the
dawn of the new year said it was unfortunate that the strike had
dragged for over three months.
But the Consultant to the state
government on Information, Mr. Sunday Akere, when contacted said the
state government had been making efforts to ensure the strike was called
off.
Akere said he believed “something better will happen this week.”
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