Follow Us on Google
By Oluseye Ojo
The Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has accused Governor Seyi Makinde of allowing the strike by resident doctors at Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, to drag beyond 30 days, leaving patients without access to affordable and specialised care.
The organisation warned that the crisis could worsen following a 21-day strike notice issued by the Association of Medical and Dental Officers of Oyo State over unresolved welfare, remuneration and service-condition issues.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, yesterday, the campaign organisation described the prolonged LAUTECH strike as unacceptable and accused the administration of insensitivity to medical workers and patients.
It said the resident doctors were demanding payment of the outstanding Medical Residency Training Fund, six months’ minimum-wage arrears and other welfare entitlements.
According to the organisation, the strike has severely restricted medical services at the teaching hospital, forcing patients to seek expensive treatment in private hospitals or endure long waits for care.
“The SSACO is concerned about Governor Seyi Makinde’s failure to sit with the striking resident doctors and find a lasting solution to their demands.
Other News
“As the strike prolongs, the resident doctors feel maltreated, while the masses bear the brunt of the government’s insensitivity,” the organisation said.
It described healthcare as an essential service that every responsible administration should treat with urgency, warning that the combination of the LAUTECH strike and the threatened action by medical and dental officers posed a serious danger to healthcare delivery across the state.
The campaign organisation said the welfare of medical workers and other civil servants would be a priority under the Oyo AHEAD agenda of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli.
It promised improved welfare, regular training and better working conditions for healthcare workers.
“Health workers and other civil servants will not be denied their entitlements. They will enjoy training and retraining, and they will have the facilities required to work,” it said.
The organisation warned that continued industrial action could have grave consequences for residents who depended on public hospitals for affordable and specialised treatment.
It challenged the Makinde administration to explain what it described as its neglect of medical workers and nonchalant handling of their grievances, insisting that the welfare of Oyo residents should not be sacrificed despite the government’s claims of improved service delivery.
