By DAPO AKINREFON
LAGOS — EMINENT Lagosians, including political leaders, clerics and monarchs, yesterday, pleaded with resident doctors in Lagos State to shelve their proposed warning strike, sheduled to begin tomorrow, in the interest of stakeholders in the health sector.
However, human rights groups condemned the planned industrial action, saying it was in bad faith, unpatriotic and unfortunate.
While the Humanity Services Project (HSP) led by Comrade Linus Okoroji, berated the doctors for a shortfall in sensitivity, he wondered why medical practitioners were embarking on strike based on uncompleted agreement with the government.
He also revisited the on-going debate on true federalism, claiming that it is illogical for state doctors to use the condition of service of doctors in the Federal Civil Service as a yardstick for agitations for welfare at the state level.
On its part, the Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) enjoined the aggrieved doctors to embrace dialogue in the interest of industrial peace in the state.
Its Executive Chairman, Mr. Nelson Ekujumi, said: "It is the grass that suffers. The common man cannot afford the services of private doctors. That is why we are calling on the doctors to shelve the strike and embrace dialogue".
Okoroji, in a statement, said: "The Governing Board of Humanity Services Project (HSP) condemns the contemplated warning and incessant strike actions by Lagos State doctors. HSP is alarmed about the news that the Lagos State doctors are spoiling to embark on a warning strike from Wednesday, April 11, 2012, just two days after the Easter break. This is very insensitive, unfortunate and condemnable."
He said the group was saddened because "the contemplated action is an agitation against unimplemented agreement with Lagos State Government."
According to Okoroji: "We have restrained ourselves from issuing statements on previous strikes by Lagos State doctors. HSP is most disturbed that the agitations by doctors all the time are based on their selfish and personal interests, which is limited to conditions of service."
Over the weekend, concerned traditional rulers and political leaders started to make contacts with the doctor's union and government to avert the strike.
Speaking with newsmen, the monarchs deplored the alleged plans to blackmail the government, which according to them, has not reneged on its efforts to uplift the state health sector.
A monarch, who pleaded anonymity, said: "There is panic and members of the public are worried that despite the efforts and giant strides of Fashola Administration in the state, doctors are planning to divert his attention from this week. That is why we are already contacting the doctors and government so that the strive will be averted."
Vanguard Nigeria