JOHESU strike paralyses activities at LASUTH

Support activities at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, were on Thursday grounded as the members of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) joined the strike embarked on by their federal institution counterparts.

Our correspondent reports that the national body of JOHESU on Wednesday ordered its counterparts in the states and local governments to join the ongoing health workers strike.

The National Chairman of JOHESU, Josiah Biobelemoye, at a news conference in Abuja said that the decision to engage the state chapters was made after series of consultations.

Biobelemoye, however, said that the state counterparts would now join the three week old strike.

He said that various negotiations with the Federal Government had not yielded any positive result.

A visit by our correspondent to one of the busiest hospitals in Lagos, LASUTH revealed total compliance as the support staff of the institution practically stayed away from work.

A visit to the departments such as Haematology, Peadiatrics and the administrative complexes shows that the support staff totally complied with the order.

The administrative office of the Heamatology department where the patients’ records are kept was under lock and other offices and some of the laboratories.

However, the Chairman, ad hoc Committee on Health, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Olusegun Olulade, who visited the hospital declined to comment on the industrial dispute.

On the strike, the Director of Clinical Services, LASUTH, Dr Adeolu Adedokun, said that the industrial dispute was not between the hospital and the striking workers but a directive from their national body.

“We don’t have any problems with our staff here, we are fine with them. As regards the strike, they may have no option than to obey the national directive of their association.

“The administration of Gov. Ambode is fully committed to their welfare and doing all within its powers,’’ he told our correspondent.

The Secretary, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) of the hospital, Dr Olusegun Alli, said that the body of doctors had resolved to mitigate the effect of the strike by attending to the patients.

“We have decided to try and mitigate the effects of the strike by our members. We have had emergency meeting and concluded that all our members should be up and doing.

“The doctors are attending to the patients at various wards in Paediatrics, Laboratories, Emergency and others.

“We don’t want to leave any gap,’’ Alli said.