Health Workers Petition Sanwo-Olu Over Poor Working Conditions

Health workers under the auspices of the Medical Guild have petitioned the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, threatening to embark on an indefinite strike over poor working conditions and non-implementation of CONMESS allowance among others.

This is even as they demanded the immediate payment of the reviewed CONMESS allowance, appropriate entry levels for specialists, the implementation of pension deductions for resident doctors, and the recruitment of more medical personnel to address the manpower shortage.

The Guild also demanded that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu act quickly to avert a collapse in medical services.

The chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Moruf Abdulsalam, in a statement, made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend said one of the major issues in the health sector is the JAPA syndrome, which remains an inadequately recognised crisis.

“Nigeria and Lagos state in particular is plagued with human resource migration for greener pastures which has led to a frightening reduction in the number of doctors left in the state to manage the ever-growing population of a mega city like Lagos. This fact was corroborated recently by the remarks of the Honourable Commissioner for Health in Lagos State where he alluded to the reality that Lagos needs about 30,000 medical practitioners to fill this personnel gap.

“The apparent lukewarm approach of the state government towards the above-highlighted issues only serves to tilt the Lagos doctors’ endurance to the breakpoint. An average of two to three doctors resign from our primary and secondary facilities every month without commensurate replacement. This has led to overwork, chronic fatigue, burnout, and strained family relationships for the remaining doctors with many grappling with chronic medical conditions from the stress and overwork,” Abdulsalam lamented.

The chairman continued by saying that doctors are also feeling the brunt of the nation’s current economic malnourishment and stagflation, which has been made worse by the non-payment of the reviewed CONMESS allowance and other problems with subpar working conditions.

According to him, ‘’These elements are now escalating the conflict and causing a medical exodus from government-run hospitals to private practices and eventually abroad.’’