Amosun pleads with doctors to end strike.

The Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, on Wednesday disclosed that all health and other relevant officials in the border areas of the state have been put on red alert to forestall the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

Mr. Amosun disclosed this while speaking at the Annual General Meeting of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Ogun State Chapter, in Abeokuta. He also appealed to doctors to end their lingering nationwide strike.

“We are terribly exposed because we have numerous border towns in our state. All the health officials and other government agents in border areas have been put on red alert to work assiduously to curtail the infiltration of the deadly Ebola virus,” he stated.

There has been only one reported Ebola case in Nigeria and it involved a Liberian who flew into Lagos and died of the disease in a Lagos hospital.

Mr. Amosun lamented the rate at which human lives are being lost on a daily basis due to doctors’ strike which is almost a month now.

“It is true that the environment is not the way our doctors want but I want to appeal to them to try as much as possible to avoid strike because their service is more of service to humanity,” Mr. Amosun noted. “I’m happy to know that this strike is not about your remuneration but clamour for facilities that will enhance your performance. Let’s endeavour to strike a balance on issues that brought about this strike for the sake of the lives we are losing daily nationwide.”

The governor, who also commissioned the new secretariat of the association, assured that his administration would remain committed to creating an enabling environment for business in the state.

“We are making efforts to nurture our agriculture to achieve our industrialisation dream and encourage public private partnership in our economic drive,” he said.

The chairman of the state NMA, Edward Jagun, in his remarks, commended Mr. Amosun for the health insurance system of his administration pointing out that it would help to achieve better universal health coverage.

The NMA boss thanked the governor for giving a facelift to the state within three years of his administration, praying God to continue to guide him in his pursuits.