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Tag: Tokunbo Olajumoke

  • Osun doctors suspend strike

    Osun doctors suspend strike

    The Osun Chapter of Nigeria Medical Association ( NMA ), on Tuesday directed its members working with state government to resume work after a seven-day warning strike over salary arrears and poor working condition.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the doctors began the strike on Sept. 18.

    The directive for resumption of work is contained in a communiqué jointly signed by the NMA Chairman, Dr Tokunbo Olajumoke and Secretary, Olalekan Ajayi.

    It said that the strike was suspended due to the intervention of well meaning stakeholders, who assured the association that the state government would address their grievances.

    The association said the strike became necessary because of the poor condition of facilities in state hospitals and poor welfare.

    According to the communiqué, the poor facilities have affected the quality of health care services rendered to citizens and had negatively affected the health indices of the state.

    “Osun had experienced an unprecedented brain drain in the health sector as a result of the various unimaginable welfare challenges facing doctors in the employment of the state which had caused an alarming instability in the sector,” the association stated.

    NAN reports that some of the issues in contention include “inappropriate and demeaning remuneration”, withholding of four to six months doctors emoluments, over taxation among others.

  • Osun doctors embark on a seven-day warning strike

    Osun doctors embark on a seven-day warning strike

     The Osun State Chapter of Nigerian Medical Association ( NMA ) on Monday ordered its members working with state government to proceed on a 7-day warning strike over unpaid salary arrears and poor working condition.

    The NMA Chairman in the state, Dr Tokunbo Olajumoke gave the directive after an emergency general meeting of the association in Osogbo.

    Olajumoke said the 7-day warning strike was coming after the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued to the government by the association to meet its demands.

    “The 7-day warning strike is to commence immediately because the 21-day ultimatum issued to the state government to look into the pending issues raised by the doctors has expired.

    “Within that 7-day there will not be any form of clinical activities in all the state- owned hospitals and no doctor is allowed to treat any patient for that seven days.”

    Olajumoke stressed that the warning strike was to allow the government to engage the doctors in a dialogue to look into their demands.

    Other demands by the doctors are nonpayment of CONMESS salary scale, over taxation, mutilated and outstanding salaries of doctors, among others.

    Reacting to the strike, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Rafiu lsamotu, appealed to the doctors to be patient with the state government , saying their requests are being looked into.

    Isamotu said the government was committed to providing quality healthcare delivery for the masses as well as ensuring that the doctors get the best from the government of osun.

  • Doctors in Osun protest non-payment of salaries, poor hospital environment

    Doctors in Osun protest non-payment of salaries, poor hospital environment

    Medical doctors  working with Osun Government on Thursday staged a peaceful protest  over the nonpayment of  salary arrears and poor condition of hospitals  in public hospitals in the  State .

    The protest was led by the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Osun State chapter , Dr Tokunbo Olajumoke.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the doctors staged similar protest on June 1, on the same issues.

    The doctors, who chanted anti – government songs marched from the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo to the popular Olaiya Junction to Oke Fia Roundabout.

    The NMA chairman , who later addressed journalists said salaries of doctors had been slashed drastically, saying they were now receiving a paltry 30 percent of their salaries while the state government was taxing them based on the 100 percent of the salaries.

    Olajumoke said that the doctors were not carried along when the governor decided to order that their salaries should be slashed .

    “Our protest is not only centred on our salaries rather on state of our hospitals that lacked the equipment and drugs .

    “The conditions of our hospitals are bad, there are no drugs: the most expensive drugs in many hospitals are paracetamol and other painkillers.

    “We say no to obnoxious tax regime , we say no to amputated salaries and we want our hospitals to work in the interest of the people , who can not afford to seek treatment abroad .

    “After today’ s protest , we will review our strategies and we will come up with a more drastic action and that is why we are calling on major stakeholders in the state to talk to the governor .

    “We cannot give half treatment to our patients because we are being paid ‘amputated’ salaries.

    “We have done everything humanly possible but the governor is recalcitrant; We also will not allow our rights to be trampled upon and keep silent,” Olajumoke said.

    Reacting to the protest, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Adelani Baderinwa, appealed to the doctors to show understanding with the government .

    “Our appeal to the doctors is that they should take the ethics of their profession seriously, they should consider the financial status of Nigeria which Osun State is part of .

    “There should be synergy and understanding between the government and the doctors on the need to save lives .

    “This administration is never found wanting in the area of workers’ welfare including the doctors,” Baderinwa said.

  • Osun doctors protest unpaid salaries, poor health facilities

    Members of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Osun Chapter, on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo over unpaid salaries and poor healthcare facilities in state-owned health institutions.

    The doctors, who carried placards, marched from the association’s secretariat on Gbogon/Ibadan Road to the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo, and sang anti-government songs.

    Dr Tokunbo Olajumoke, the NMA Chairman in the state, told newsmen that the state government owed doctors two years arrears of salaries.

    Olajumoke also said that government was imposing heavy task on the doctors in spite of the fact that they were not well paid.

    The NMA chairman said the doctors could no longer meet their financial obligations because of the unpaid salaries.

    Olajumoke said there were no drugs in all public hospitals in the state.

    He urged Gov. Rauf Aregbesola to ensure the payment of the arrears of their salaries without delay to avoid the wrath of doctors and its consequences.

    Reacting to the protest, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, a media aide to Aregbesola, said the state government remained committed to the welfare of workers, including doctors.

    Okanlawon said the state government had developed the most ingenious formula for satisfying the needs of its workforce within the limit of available resources.

    He said the health sector in the state had witnessed a huge improvement in the last seven years under the leadership of Aregbesola.