Osun doctors calls off seven-month strike

[su_dropcap]S[/su_dropcap]triking medical doctors in Osun State under the aegis of Association of Medical and Dental Officers yesterday suspended their seven-month-old industrial action.

The chairman of the association, Dr Isiaka Adekunle, confirmed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital.

He said the doctors would report for duty today.

Adekunle told NAN that though the government was yet to meet any of their demands, their decision to resume was in response to appeals from residents.

He, however, said the association would continue to dialogue with the government.

Adekunle said the association took the decision at its Annual General Meeting on March 30.

He said: “House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam and some others prevailed on us to call off the strike.

“We observed that the people who are at the receiving end of our strike are the masses who can only access health care from state owned hospitals.

“Based on this, the doctors unanimously agreed at our AGM that the strike be suspended despite the fact that none of our demands has been met by the government

“While we pray for good fortune for the state and the nation as a whole, when the economy of the state improves, government will have no choice than to answer our demands.”

Adekunle appealed to the government to keep to its promises by not victimising members who participated in the strike.

“We want a promise from the government that none of our members will be victimised for participating in the strike.

“We believe government will keep to its side of agreement while we keep to ours,” he said.

The doctors went on strike on September 28, last year, to protest unpaid salaries and non-remittance of their cooperative and contributory deductions from their salaries.

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