Resident doctors stay off LUTH (http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8991:resident-doctors-stay-off-luth-&catid=85:national&Itemid=340)
...minister says FG committed to agreement reached with NMAPatients stayed away as the warning strike embarked upon by resident doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) entered its second day on Wednesday. Our correspondent reports that few patients waited for treatment at the Accident and Emergency Department.A member of staff said that resident doctors stopped working since Tuesday when the warning strike began, although consultants carried out skeletal duties. Emergency cases were referred to other hospitals while some relations were seen making arrangements to move out patients to other hospitals. Meanwhile, minister of state for health, Aliyu Idi-Hong, said on Wednesday that the Federal government was committed to the agreement reached with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in 2009. The minister gave the assurance in Abuja at a closed door meeting with the executive body of the association on the ongoing strike embarked upon by the resident doctors.Idi-Hong said government would meet its commitment. "In recent times, we have seen agitation from some labour unions working in the health sector because government had agreed with them where they got approval for enhancement of their packages," he said.The minister said that the only reason the issue of salary increase had not taken effect was because the 2010 appropriation bill had not be passed into law. He said: "Unfortunately, the budget has not been passed and secondly, it took us time to do all compilation agreed upon. "Once it is passed, it will not be more than one month or two before we start effecting the salary changes and we want to assure you that we are not sleeping,'' Idi-Hong said.The minister further said that the essence of the meeting was for government to be on the same passage with the union. "We called them to come so as to brief them step by step, level by level and to let them know that government is so committed to its own obligation and that the processes are being taken and it is maturing,'' he said. Idi-Hong appealed to the union to give government some time as it was on top of the situation. "We are just appealing that they should give us time as we are on top of the situation which has to pass through the National Assembly. The permanent secretary, Linus Awute, in his response, described the warning strike as an open wound that needed to be healed with time. He, however, urged the association to always clarify issues before taking such a huge step.NMA president, Prosper Igboeli, who said NMA recognised the difficult task facing the ministry in articulating the new development, urged government to fulfill its side of the bargain.
Source: Businessday :: News you can trust (http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage)