Osun State Government has technically relieved the doctors in its employ, who have been on strike since September 28, 2015, of their jobs.
The Chairman, Special Committee on Health, Dr. Simon Afolayan, announced at a press conference in Osogbo on Friday that the state considered that the striking doctors had resigned their appointments.
He explained that the doctors had not been asked to go because no sacking letter had been issued to them; however, he added that they were deemed to have resigned their appointments because of their refusal to work for more than six months.
Afolayan claimed that the doctors commenced their strike on April 2, 2015. But the doctors, in a swift reaction, stated that they embarked on an indefinite strike on September 28, 2015 over payment of half salaries and demand for better condition of service.
Afolayan said, “Doctors are part of the civil service and by the civil service rule, you cannot abandon your duty post for six months without reason and not face the consequences. If you do so, it is deemed that you have resigned your appointment. This rule has taken effect!”
He added that doctors still interested in working with the government had been given a fresh opportunity.
He said the state could not afford to pay the doctors’ salaries in full in the face of the current financial crisis in the state and the nation. According to him, out of over 39,000 workers in the state civil service, doctors working with the Osun State Hospitals Management Board were less than 100.
He described the demands of the doctors as impossible to meet; saying there would be anarchy in the state if the government paid full salaries to doctors and half salaries to other civil servants.
“The doctors have remained recalcitrant despite all entreaties by leading lights of the medical profession.
“They refused the popular agreement, what should government do? How can we reverse a decision accented to and agreed with by over 39,000 workers because about 100 people are dissatisfied?”
But the Chairman, Association of Resident Doctors, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Dr. Adeyinka Owolabi, while responding to the development, dared the state government to relieve the doctors of their jobs.
He said doctors were surprised to hear news of the implementation of the civil service rule by the state government, because according to him, the House of Assembly had already waded in to resolve the matter.
Owolabi said it was disturbing that many projects were ongoing in the state despite government’s claim that it had no money to pay workers.
He said, “How many times do they want to talk about sacking the doctors? This is about the third time now. They should bring the sacking letters if they want to tell us to go.
“It is a lie that doctors have been on strike for the past 11 months. The ARD, Osogbo embarked on strike on September 28. It is a cheap blackmail and it is unfortunate that such cheap lie is coming from that arm of government.
“I am crying inside because people are dying every day and it is unfortunate that the governor is making a drama out of this situation.”
He said doctors had refused half salaries because their services could not be offered partly and because the state government did not consult with them before arriving at the decision to slash their salaries.
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