Strike paralyses LASUTH, LUTH, others

Patients at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba deserted the hospitals as a result of the warning strike embarked upon by health workers in the country.

Our correspondent who monitored the strike in LASUTH and LUTH on Wednesday observed that it was only doctors that were in the clinics and the wards of the hospitals.

There were no patients at the medical records section, the eye and dental clinics, among others.

A doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity at LASUTH, said though the doctors were working most patients abstained from coming to the hospital due to the health workers strike.

The general atmosphere at LASUTH and LUTH confirmed that the health workers complied with the strike.

However, skeletal services were being offered at the emergency units of both hospitals even though it was not as busy as it used to be.

Health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Unions on Tuesday had declared a three-day nationwide strike in all federal, state and local health institutions across the country.

The strike is to protest against the non-implementation of the collective bargain agreement and Memorandum of Understanding between JOHESU and the government and the non-implementation of the judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

Their demands include the non-implementation of  skipping  Consolidated Medical Health Salary Structure, CONHESS from 9 to 10  and  the payment of consultancy allowances and  failure to promote deserving members from CONHESS 14 to 15.