DESUTH Medical Workers Resume Work.

Striking medical workers at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara have suspended their strike.The suspension follows the intervention of the state governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and the subsequent payment of part of the allowances owed them.

The Delta State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge disclosed this in Asaba recently during a meeting with the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara.

The commissioner said that dialogue remains the best means of resolving industrial disputes and urged the doctors to always avail themselves of the state government’s open door policy of resolving industrial disputes and to avoid strikes in future.

Dr. Azinge, who described the Okowa administration as labour friendly said the state government would not accept a situation where MDCAN, Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara chapter interferes with the state government’s decision as regards the appointment of the chief medical director of the institution, saying it is the prerogative of the governor to do so in consonance with the law establishing the hospital.

He also used the medium to thank the Board Chairman, Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Chris Oghenechowen and his members for their tireless efforts in bringing the strike action to an end.

Dr. Azinge used the opportunity to thank the governor for his efforts in providing the necessary support and logistics towards the containment of the Lassa Fever Disease free for now as all persons previously placed under surveillance came out cleared.

He advised all Deltans and residents to continue to observe all preventive measures against Lassa fever cleaning of their environment, hand washing and report any case of unresolved fever after treatment for malaria and typhoid fever and any bleeding from any of the body orifices.

In another development, out of the 2, 714 corps members discharged last week by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for 2015 Batch B Stream 1 set, 23 of them have been placed on extension for various offenses committed during the duration of the service year.

The extension implies that some of the corps members have their service year extended by one month, two months and 12 months, which is a calendar year depending on the gravity of the offense.

The affected corps members were handed down various penalties for lack of commitment to duties and negligence in their Primary Place of Assignment (PPA), abscond from work for one to three months consecutively and other related offences earned them the penalties.

It was also gathered that out of the 23 affected corps members, seven were remobilized (four males and three females) – they are to start the entire process of one year service to the nation afresh.The state Coordinator of NYSC, Omotade Ayodele Benjamin, confirmed the extension of service year of the affected members.