The Ogun State Government has replaced the striking doctors working at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital COVID-19 Isolation Centre, with volunteer doctors.
EyewitnessMedia learnt on Monday, that the Special Assistant to the Governor on public communications, Remmy Hassan, disclosed that the striking doctors at the isolation centre had been replaced.
“They were replaced by volunteers. It is a stop-gap measure. We cannot stop the treatment at the isolation centre.
They have the right to go on strike. Remember it is a national strike. We are doing our best and we just hope that it does not take too long,” he said in a telephone interview with our reporter.
The Secretary, ARD, OOUTH, Tope Osundara, confirmed the replacement adding that the doctors were hopeful that the government would call for a meeting this week.
Members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the facility, situated in Sagamu, had on July 1, begun a strike, with some doctors at the isolation centres joining the industrial action last week.
Some of the doctors’ complaints include non-implementation of the new minimum wage, hazard allowance, inappropriate remuneration, low entry-level and absence of a life insurance policy for its members.
According to the doctors, the alleged refusal of the state government to appropriately attend to previous warning letters had shown that the government was less concerned about their plight.
Ogun State as of Sunday night has recorded 1,174 COVID-19 cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.