Prof. Abiodun Adewuya at the induction ceremony of the 17th set of graduating medical doctors and 7th set of graduating dental surgeons of LASUCOM, held on Thursday at the Lagos State University College of Medicine Faculty of Basic Medicine Auditorium, Ikeja, called on the inductees to be committed to hard work in their pursuit of  professionalism.

He further charged them to use the power they had acquired as medical professionals to bring about change on patients, communities, profession, and their parents.

He implored them to live by the morals they had been taught.

He said LASUCOM was committed to maintaining the delivery of high quality doctors and dentists, saying since 1999 the institution had not failed on the track.

READ ALSO: NLC begins nationwide warning strike from Sept 5

The Registrar, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria,  MDCN, Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, who inducted the health practitioners, charged them on discipline and  compassion, reminding them they had been called into a noble profession and must live up to expectation.

“You are under obligation to give in your best and restore people back to health and for you to do that, discipline must be first,” MDCN boss said.

Sanusi said Lagos State was occupying “a prime position in this country and we cannot allow things to go down into the drain.”

On her part, the Medical Elder at the induction ceremony, Prof. Rachael Akinola, implored the new professionals to consider serving Nigeria, urging them that the new phase of induction demanded consolidation and commitment to their profession, parents, and the society.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tertiary Education, Mr. Adeniran Waheed, said the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led government was committed to advancing medical education in the state as part of its commitment to the second pillar of the THEMES+ agenda, the policy thrust of the administration.

He charged LASUCOM to “work harder, not to rest on your oars.”

The Chief Medical Director, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabanwo, represented by the Director, Clinical Services and Training, Prof Adebowale Adekoya , LASUTH is committed to deliver on the mandate of Governor Sanwo-Olu to give sound healthcare to Lagosians.

37 medical doctors and seven dental surgeons were inducted at LASUTH, Ikeja.

The post What LASUCOM provost told inducted doctors, dental surgeons appeared first on Frontpageng.

The association gave the notice on Saturday in a letter addressed to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, FMOH.

The letter which has “Notice of Nationwide Mass Protests and Picketing” as its title by NARD was signed by its president, Dr. Emeka Orji and  Secretary-General, Dr Chikezie Kelechi.

According to the doctors, it was the decision of the National Executive Council of NARD to embark on such action.

“We wish to bring to your notice, the decision of the National Executive Council of NARD to embark on daily peaceful protests and picketing of FMOH, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.”

It added that all federal and state tertiary health institutions nationwide, would be affected by the strike which takes effect from August 9 at 10.00 a.m.

“This has become necessary to press home our demands which have been largely neglected by our parent ministry and the federal government.

“We are pained that rather than make genuine and concerted efforts to resolve the challenges that led to the industrial action in spite of repeated ultimatums, our parent ministry and the federal government have chosen to demonise Nigerian resident doctors instead, after all their sacrifices and patriotism.

“We therefore resolved that it is time the whole world hears our side of the story, the decay and corruption in the health sector as well as the neglect, the public health institutions have suffered all these years that led to repeated industrial actions,” it stated.

READ ALSO: Doctor’s death: Police confirm arrest of three persons in Lagos

The association, however, said that it believed that the government still had time to genuinely address the issues at stake before August 9, or leave it with no other option.

The resident doctors embarked on indefinite strike on July 26.

The major demands of the association are immediate payment of 2023 Medical  Residency Training Fund, MRTF, immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement and payment of skipping arrears.

Others are the upward review of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS and payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum wage to the omitted doctors.

Also demanded is reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN.

Other demands include the payment of MRTF, new hazard allowance, skipping and implementation of corrected CONMESS in State Tertiary Health Institutions and payment of omitted hazard allowance arrears.

Meanwhile, the federal government had on Tuesday through a letter to all concerned issued a ‘no work, no pay’ policy following the doctors’ on-going strike.

The action is to serve as deterrent to other health workers.

Source: NAN

The post Resident doctors begin protest over unmet demands Wednesday appeared first on Frontpageng.

The national president of the association, Dr. Innocent Orji, made this known via a Whatsapp message to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) late Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, the major demands of the association were immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund, MRTF, immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement and payment of skipping arrears.

Others are upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS and payment of arrears of the consequential adjustment of minimum wage to omitted doctors.

The association also demands the reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN.

The association had in a communique on July 5 after its virtual Extraordinary National Executive Council Meeting, E-NEC, issued fresh notice to the federal government to meet its demands within two weeks or risk industrial disharmony in the health sector.

The communique was signed jointly by NARD’s National President, the Secretary-General, Dr Chikezie Kelechi and the Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr Umar Musa.

READ ALSO: NIDCOM: Diaspora skills transfer good for healthcare delivery

Members of the association embarked on a five-day warning strike on May 17, urging the federal government to address its concerns before May 29 otherwise there would be industrial disharmony.

The industrial action was embarked upon after the two-week ultimatum issued on April 29 expired on May 13.

Members of the association however suspended the strike on May 21.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, had on Monday urged the resident doctors to suspend the impending strike during a meeting between the leadership of the House and NARD in Abuja.

He said, “I urge you to suspend the impending industrial action while we intervene, and seek your understanding of the fact that a new administration just came on board.”

He further said that the administration was still in the process of settling down as ministers were yet to assume office.

He said NARD’s decision to meet with the House was an affirmation of their faith and confidence in the House’ capacity to intervene and resolve the lingering issues in dispute.

Source: NAN

The post Resident doctors begin indefinite strike appeared first on Frontpageng.

This is contained in a communiqué issued on Sunday in Abuja at the end of NARD’s extraordinary National Executive Council, NEC, meeting.

The communique was signed by Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, NARD President, Dr. Jerry Isogun, Secretary-General and Dr Dotun Osikoya, Publicity and Social Secretary.

The communiqué said that the NEC had agreed that it would proceed on a total and indefinite strike on April 1,  2021, by 8 a.m.

This, according to NARD, was if immediate payment of all salaries owed to all house officers, including March salaries, were not paid before the end of business on March 31, 2021.

NARD demanded upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance.

The association called for the abolishment of exorbitant bench fees being paid by members on outside postings in all training institutions across the country.

NARD said that payment of salary shortfalls of 2014, 2015 and 2016 to members in all Federal Institutions including state-owned institutions as earlier agreed with NARD must be paid.

According to the association, there must be payment of death in service insurance for all health workers who died as a result of COVID-19 infection and other infectious diseases.

It said there should be a universal domestication and implementation of the 2017 MRTA by all federal and state-owned training institutions.

That, according to the association, was to ensure proper funding of residency training in the country as stipulated by the Act.

NARD called for the commencement of employment into all government-owned hospitals to improve service delivery to Nigerians and enhance residency training to curb brain drain in the health sector.

The association also sought for the review of the Act regulating postgraduate medical training in Nigeria in line with international best practices.

NARD demanded the sack of the Registrar of MDCN for failure to demonstrate competence in the handling of the central placement of house officers.

The communiqué added that it would give room for the smooth implementation of the central placement of house officers without delays.

NARD reiterated the commitment of NARD to the smooth running of all tertiary institutions in the country and the provision of specialist healthcare to Nigerians.

NARD, however, urged the federal government to urgently meet the above demands in order to avert the avoidable industrial action.

Source: NAN

The post Resident doctors threaten indefinite strike from April 1 if… appeared first on Frontpageng.

The National Human Rights Commission’s independent investigative panel is investigating human rights violations by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.

The  chairman of the panel, retired Justice Suleiman Galadima, summoned the CMD and registrar, after it heard a petition filed by a woman, Chinenye Igwetu, alleging that a SARS officer, Insp. Benjamin Peters, murdered her younger sister, Linda.

Justice Galadima adjourned until December 2.

The petitioner on November 4 told the panel that  Peters shot her younger sister, who was a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member on July 3, 2018 in Abuja, a day before her passing out.

Igwetu listed Peters, the FCT Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police as respondents in the petition.

Earlier, counsel for the respondents, James Idachaba, told the panel that the police was served with the process on November 4.

Idachaba added that there was need to invite Peters to appear before the panel.

He added that the police was ready to assist the panel to achieve its mandate.

In his submission, counsel for the panel China Obiagwu, SAN, who appeared for the petitioner, prayed the panel to summon the CMD, Garki General Hospital, Abuja and Registrar of the registrar of the MDCN to give evidence in the matter.

Igwetu alleged that her sister was shot in front of the Ceddi Plaza in Abuja and later died in Garki General Hospital.

“A nurse took me inside a room and informed me that they lost my sister. She died at exactly 6:10 a.m. I can never forget that,” she told the panel.

She said that she filed a complaint against Peters at the Police Service Commission.

“I want justice for my sister. I want my family to be compensated even though no amount of money can bring back my sister. She had many dreams,” she pleaded.

Source: NAN

The post EndSARS: Panel summons hospital’s CMD, MDCN registrar over killing appeared first on Frontpageng.