Director, Public Affairs in the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, has said that the Lagos State Government had asked doctors of the state-run Medical Guild to call off a three-day warning strike that was due to start today.
He said the appeal was made to protect more than 20 million residents who rely on public health services.
According to him, the Medical Guild, led by Dr. Japhet Olugbogi, had declared the strike on July 26 after part of the doctors’ salaries were cut without warning.
He added that the doctors were demanding payment of 12 months’ back pay under the new CONMESS scale.
Ogunbanwo said the pay dispute began in April and was temporarily resolved, but fresh deductions were made in July.
He warned that the strike could disrupt services at all state-run health facilities across Lagos, including the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
He said a joint conciliation committee made up of government and guild representatives had been meeting to review the guild’s documents and find a solution under existing rules.
He also said the government had put backup staffing plans in place to keep clinics and hospitals running if the strike went ahead.