The Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba says resident doctors at the hospital will not be affected by the Federal Government’s directive on the sacking of striking doctors.
Prof. Chris Bode, the LUTH Chief Medical Director, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Lagos.
It would be recalled be that the Minster of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, had on Tuesday directed the CMDs and Medical Directors of Federal Government tertiary health institutions to fill the vacancies created by resident doctors.
Adewole said the doctors had abandoned their training programme by refusing to report for work.
However, Bode said: “We have received a circular from the Federal Ministry of Health to fill the vacancies occasioned by the sacking of striking resident doctors in Federal Government Tertiary Health Institutions.
“We are not implementing this in LUTH because over 95 per cent of our resident doctors are working, even during the strike because of the ongoing nurses’ strike.”
The CMD also said the ongoing recruitment at LUTH was “a mere coincidence” and has nothing to do with the replacement of the striking resident doctors.
Bode also said the exercise was on yearly basis to employ new resident doctors to replace those that had completed their training.
He said: “Each year, we recruit new resident doctors.
“Prior to this time, they have undergone examination and today was scheduled for an oral interview.”
In his reactions, Dr. Afolabi Akinkunmi, the President of the National Association of Resident Doctors in LUTH, said the association was aware of the ongoing recruitment and has nothing to do with the minister’s directive.
Akinkunmi said: “We have not received any official information about the Federal Ministry of Health’s directive to sack striking resident doctors.
“The strike is still ongoing.
“Our national body and the Federal Government are still negotiating.”
NAN reports that the minister’s directive was contained in a circular signed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Amina Shamaki, and sent to the CMDs.
It read in part: “It has come to the notice of the management of the ministry that some resident doctors in your establishment have voluntarily withdrawn from the Residency Training Programme by refusing to report for training without authorisation.
“This is in spite of the ongoing negotiations on their demands put forward by the representatives of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association.”
NAN.
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