The National Industrial Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, yesterday stopped the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government (FG) alongside its agents from serving the over 16,000 suspended resident doctors sack letters.
Specifically, the court, presided over by Justice Babatunde Adejumo, directed all chief medical directors of the 37 medical institutions across Nigeria to maintain status quo, pending the hearing and determination of the suit initiated by the aggrieved doctors.
It would be recalled that FG had, in a letter dated August 13, 2014, directed that the Residency Training Programme for doctors be suspended.
The aggrieved doctors, on August 18, 2014, initiated a Motion on Notice through their lawyer, Alex Akoja, wherein they urged the judge to issue an order restraining FG and its agents from both scrapping the programme and terminating their appointment.
In his ruling yesterday, the judge held that the respondents should not serve the resident doctors sack letters if they had not already done so.
According to Justice Adejumo, “It is the order of the court that since there is yet to be proof that the order has been carried out, the 3rd to 39th respondents are hereby restrained either by themselves, agents, privies or any other person from serving member of the Registered Trustee of the Nigeria Medical Association with any letter of termination if same had not been served on them before today.
“I have gone through the motion exparte, the affidavit in support as well as the written address. In respect of prayer one (suspension of training programme), it is my belief that it will be better addressed when parties joined issues on the issues raised in the motion on notice.”
The doctors joined as respondents to the suit: the chief medical directors of Aminu Kanu Teaching Hospital, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, University College Hospital, Ibadan, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Calabar Teaching Hospital, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Usman Danfodio Teaching Hospital, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.
Others are the medical directors of Federal Medical Centres in Asaba, Azare, Bida, Birnin-Kebbi, Birnin Kudu, Gombe, Keffi, Gusau, Ido-Ekiti, Katsina, Lokoja, Makurdi, Owerri, Owo, Umuahia, Yenegoa, Yola, Ebute Metta, Lagos and Yobe states.
The matter has been adjourned till September 17, 2014, for hearing of the motion on notice.
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