The purported strike embarked upon by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Parklane is illegal and inconsequential, Igbere TV reports.
Firstly, the action is in contravention of an existing court injunction restraining them from doing so and thereby renders the strike illegal before the eyes of the law.
Igbere TV recalls that the National Industrial Court sitting in Enugu had issued an interim injunction restraining the doctors from continuing with the industrial action already embarked upon.
The court further restrained the association and/or its members from taking any action in furtherance of the strike action pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already filed by the Enugu State Government.
The interim injunction was issued by Justice O.O. Arowosegbe upon the Motion Exparte filed by the state government on March 2, 2020.
More worrisome to this strike is even the fact that the action came at a time the Federal Government and various state governments were still grappling with the challenges of the novel Coronavirus outbreak.
However, findings by Igbere TV revealed that despite the industrial action by the doctors, Consultants and other medical personnel at the hospital are on duty attending to patients. This, therefore, renders the strike inconsequential.
As part of efforts aimed at containing the spread of the pandemic in Enugu, the state government led by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has launched the engagement of 124 health specialists to man the isolation centres in the state.
Just two days ago, the state government, in furtherance of its commitment, paid COVID-19 allowance to the doctors and all other health workers in the state as incentive, which represents 25 per cent of their basic salaries. This was in addition to the payment of April salaries of all public servants.
Igbere TV also recalls that the Enugu State Government recently approved a life insurance package for doctors and other health workers in the state, also as incentive.
Reacting to the development in a chat with Igbere TV, a doctor in the state, Dr. Edward Arinzechukwu Uwani, described the actions of the Enugu doctors as selfish.
“What the ARD (Association of Resident Doctors) is doing, which they did earlier, is to arm-twist the state government to succumb to its self-centred demands,” he said,” describing it as the height of insensitivity.
“It is therefore the height of insensitivity and professional irresponsibility for the Resident Doctors to go on strike (in contravention of an existing Court Order) at this point of global COVID-19 pandemic, when all hands are on deck to contain spread of the deadly viral disease.
“The question begging for answer is this: ‘Do these doctors who swore their professional oath to protect and save lives, want Ndi Enugu dead, in their crass desperation to achieve their selfish material interest?’ .”
He called on people of the state to join hands with the state government in the wake of COVID-19, saying, “Let’s join hands to condemn and discourage these strange acts of mischief, insensitivity and professional irresponsibility.”
