Medical Guild Strike: Strike is not an Option Now – Obafemi Hamzat

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat has appealed to the State Medical Guild to reconsider the strike they are currently on, and join forces with government to serve and protect the people.

Speaking on tuesday during the Lagos State Year 2020 Tree Planting Exercise held at the Isolation Centre, Gbagada General Hospital, the Deputy Governor said embarking on strike at this time in point is wrong as all hands are expected to be on deck to end the pandemic.

Dr. Hamzat said, “I think it is important for them to reconsider it.  It is not justifiable and they should please go back to work so that we can serve the people that we all sworn to protect”.

He added that the State Government had never sent away or removed any doctor but tried to rotate them and bring in others to build capacity and bring relief to those who have been working for the past three months at the Isolation Centre.

“One of the things they said is that we removed some doctors, No. What happened was that a lot of these doctors that were working in the Isolation Centres have not gone home. So we got hotels next to the Isolation Centres, so that they don’t take the virus home. They were being fed, housed and given everything.  Now they are also getting allowances. I guess some others want to also be in that category, so the idea was let’s rotate so that if you work here for three months, let’s bring another and then build the capacity. So rotating them is not removal”, he said.

Commenting on the issues of taxation, he said Doctors are not being taxed by a different law but by the same tax law that is applied to all Lagosians.

Similarly, the Deputy Governor also called on Lagosians to stop the act of indiscriminate wastes dumping in the state to avoid blocking drainages and flooding, imploring them to ensure that they patronise the PSP vendors in disposing of their wastes.

He emphasised that engaging in such act affects the citizens in two folds, firstly, the money spent on clearing could be used for other things which is more beneficial to all and secondly, that it could cause flooding.

While commending healthcare frontline workers for their effort in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the Deputy Governor stated that Gbagada General Hospital Isolation Centre, the choice of venue for the tree planting is to honour the frontline workers for their dedication and commitment.