Africa News of Thursday, 16 July 2020

Source: bbc.com

Lagos doctors suspend strike

Lagos is the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria Lagos is the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria

Doctors in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, have resumed work at various hospitals after suspending a three-day strike.

The medics had called the strike over unpaid salaries and other issues of safety and welfare.

The chairman of their union, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, told the BBC the strike had partly achieved the aim of drawing attention to their plight and also bringing the government to the negotiating table.

He insisted that doctors on the Covid-19 frontline remained at risk.

He said the government needed to quickly act to protect them through the provision of adequate personal protective equipment, insurance cover and prompt testing of health workers.

The Lagos state government says it is working with the doctors to resolve the issues and ensure that efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic is not disrupted.

Lagos remains the epicentre of the pandemic, with nearly 13,000 out of the 34,259 confirmed cases in Nigeria.

A total of 769 people have died of the virus in Nigeria, while nearly 14,000 patients have recovered