Fashola says he has no power to recall sacked doctors

The Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola on Wednesday said that he does not possess the powers under the law to overturn the dismissal of the 788 medical doctors recently sacked for allegedly embarking on illegal strike action.

Mr Fashola, who spoke on a live state-wide televised panel discussion with the editors of THISDAY Newspapers, the SUN Newspapers, and the Producer of InsideOut Talk Show, Aderoju Adepoju, said the dismissal of the doctors was not his making and that he lacked the power and right as the state governor to either sack or employ doctors.
“I cannot reverse the sack. It is not in my powers to do so. I will not be able to do just as I cannot affect their promotion. It is the Health Service Commission (HSC) that will promote them. I will not be here after three years,” he said.

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The panel’s discussion, which was aired on Lagos Television, was organised to mark Mr Fashola’s fifth anniversary. The governor confirmed that 34 of the 788 dismissed medical personnel had been reabsorbed having appealed to the HSC and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), both of which he described as their employers. “So, it is not about me.

It is about institutions. I have made efforts to ensure a final resolution to the prolonged strike hence the recall of the 34 doctors. But the affected doctors have to appeal. “Anyone who appeals should be recalled, but they have to take the step.

Let them go to their employers and resolve the issue. Any doctor who still wants to remain can have their jobs back and engage with their employers,” he said. Mr Fashola said that the Health Commission is the body responsible for determining the fate of the doctors in the state. He urged the sacked doctors to appeal to the commission over their dismissal.

Responding to questions on whether the state government breached the agreement with the doctors, Mr Fashola said the state government had overstressed beyond its capacity to ensure the doctors were comfortable due to the important service they provide.