Daily Independent Online.
*
Tuesday, June 22, 2004.
NLC strike: Fayose berates medical workers
David Atalese
Special
Correspondent,
Ado-Ekiti
Medical doctors and nurses in Ekiti State
were on Monday castigated for their unethical behaviour by participating in the
recent industrial action embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress.
The state Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, told
them at a meeting in Ado-Ekiti that during the strike, which lasted for three
days, medical services were virtually paralysed in the state.
He said their participation was uncalled
for and has brought their profession to ridicule in the face of other
professionals, saying that it amounted to disregard for human lives.
Fayose stated that it was a matter for
regret that the two bodies could abandon their jobs because of increase in the
pump prices of petroleum products, which he said was not the handiwork of his
administration.
He stated that he was shocked that doctors
and nurses could abandon emergency units and other strategic places in the
hospitals throughout the state.
He said: " I wish to express my
unhappiness about your poor attitude to work and let me remind you that one of
the ethics of your profession is to save life. I am therefore warning you
against such incident in the future.”
Fayose then directed them to always wear
their nametags on their chest for easy identification and charged members of
the public to report any misconduct on the part of the health officials to the
appropriate authorities.
He promised to set up a panel to
investigate alleged misappropriation of fund at the state’s School of
Nursing and Midwifery, saying government would no longer condone acts of
indiscipline from medical personnel in the state.
Fayose said that N5 million has been
approved for purchase of drugs for hospitals in the state and assured that a
monitoring committee will be set up to supervise the distribution of the drugs.
Reacting to the governor’s
accusation, the Chairperson of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives
in the state, Mrs Mary Oyewole, defended her members, saying the nurses went on
strike in line with the directive of the national body of the association in
Abuja.
