Doctors Strike Begins

Doctors in public hospitals this morning withdre their services in compliance with a directive of their association to embark on a five-day warning strike to protest government’s refusal to improve funding for the health sector.

The Nigeria medical Association, NMA, the umbrella association for all practicing doctors in the country last week ordered doctors to embark on strike over government’s poor funding of the health sector.

Investigations at most of the hospitals in Lagos today revealed that majority of the doctors complied with the directive.

At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, resident doctors were preparing for a crucial meeting to deliberate on their involvement in the strike. Some of the doctors were seen moving to the venue of the meeting. One of the doctors said in-patients would be minimally attended to patients would be turned back.

“We will continue to attend to in-patients, perhaps offering skeletal services, but out-patients would be turned back,” he said.

ARD President, Dr. Ugwu declined to comment on the strike.

NMA Lagos Chairman, Dr. Francis Faduyile, said the warning strike commenced today and will end on Sunday, after which a full-blown strike would commence on 5 January, 2014.

“What we presently have is a warning strike until next year when we would proceed on a full strike. This is because of the yuletide season,” Faduyile said.

Asked whether discussions have been initiated between the government and the doctors to avert a full-scale withdrawal of services, Faduyile responded in the affirmative.

Some doctors were however observed attending to in-patients, as well as those on appointments.

A patient, Akinsanmi Daudu, said he was scheduled to run four tests today and confirmed he had been attended to.

“The strike is suppose to start today but the doctors have been kind. They are running helter-skelter to see how they could assist us,” he said.

A woman, who declined to give his name said she her son, admitted to Ward A3, had also been attended to.

At Ikorodu General Hospital doctors were observed rendering skeletal services to patients. Attempts to speak with the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Idowu M. B., was unsucessful as he refused to comment on the strike.

A doctor who did not want his name in print said doctors in Lagos State hospitals will not join the warning strike because they are not working for the Federal Government.

According to him, the doctors working for the state government will wait for the strike to unfold.

“We will wait for events to unfold. You have to understand that we have an association, the Medical Guild, comprising doctors under the pay roll of the Lagos Government and it is when the leadership of the Guild calls a strike that we will join.”

At the Ikeja and Isolo general hospitals, doctors were observed working but most of them said they would join the strike later.

42-year-old assistant Headmaster In Bauchi arrested for rape

42-year-old Mr James Dantayi( An assistant Headmaster of Jibril Aminu Primary School in Bauchi) was arrested after police received the complaint of a rape incident in the school.

Sources have revealed that the rape victim was a primary three pupil.

“The victim who is a pupil of Jibril Aminu Primary school was raped by their assistant headmaster after school hours.

“When the girl got home, her parents became suspicious of their daughter’s disposition and decided to investigate it.

“After interrogation, they discovered that she was raped by the assistant headmaster.” - The source stated.

The victim has now been taken to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi for medical examination.
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Tee billz shares Honey moon pics of his newly wedded wife

Teebillz posted this image of him and his wife on his Instagram page with the tag ‘drunk in love (Remix) ft. Mrs Billz’.

READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/54570.html

Student suspended for an Academic year for hugging Teacher

A high school senior from Duluth, Georgia, has been suspended for the rest of the academic year for hugging his teacher. He says he was trying to brighten her day; she calls it sexual harassment. A school surveillance video captured the incident. It shows Sam McNair, 17, embracing the teacher, who has not been identified, from behind. She then pushes him away and he releases her and turns away. The teacher claims that his lips touched her neck, which he denies. She also alleges that she had warned him in the past about inappropriate physical contact.

Related: School Drops Sexual Harassment Claim Against 6-Year-Old Who Kissed Girl

The young man's mother, April McNair, says she never heard any complaints in the past and is worried that the suspension could seriously affect her son's ability to graduate and attend college. "He's a senior; he plays football and was getting ready for lacrosse season. By suspending him, you are stripping him of the opportunity to get a full scholarship for athletics," she told CBS Atlanta, adding that she and her son are "huggers." Sam McNair said the gesture was innocent and said of himself, "I'm the most loving person I know."

More on Yahoo: 31 Students in Twerking Video Expunged

The school can't comment on the specifics of the incident, but Sloan Roach, spokesperson for the Gwinnett County School District, which oversees Duluth High, told Yahoo Shine by email, "Hearing officers consider witness testimony, a review of the known facts, and a student's past disciplinary history — including long-term suspensions that result in alternative school placement — when determining consequences. If a parent has concerns about the outcome of a panel, he or she is entitled to appeal the decision to the Gwinnett County Board of Education." And April McNair, who could not be reached for comment, told CBS that she plans to do exactly that.

Over the past few days, two petitions have appeared online saying the school went too far by calling the hug sexual harassment and handing out a severe punishment. A commenter on aChange.org petition (which has more than 1,000 signatures in 24 hours) wrote, "Sam seems to be innocent. IF this teacher was offended by hugs, she should have contacted Sam's mother long before she took it to this measure." Another wrote, "No child should be denied education & such a gesture should not ruin a future."

The controversial suspension comes at a time when hugging in schools has become part of the national conversation. Over the last decade, hugging as a greeting — especially among teens — has become a trend in the United States. This may be one reason that schools across the country are grappling with what constitutes appropriate physical interaction between teachers, students, and parents (with kids who are not their own) on school grounds. It's common for teachers to be officially prohibited from hugging students, and some districts have banned high school and middle school students from embracing each other. Earlier this year, a Maryland elementary school made national news when it banned younger kids from hugging.

While critics say that schools are overreacting, Stephen Brock, a professor of psychology and president of the National Association of School Psychologists, says it's important that students are taught that hugging is not always OK. While Brock says he can't comment on the McNair case, he tells Yahoo Shine, "A nurturing, caregiving, supportive hug (for example, a sideways hug, with one arm around a person's shoulder) has the potential to be very helpful in times

of stress…Such physical contact, however, can also make a distressed individual very uncomfortable…Consequently, my recommendation is always to ask for permission before giving a hug, and to respect both the verbal and nonverbal cues suggesting that a hug is not welcome." He adds, "Students need to understand that a hug offered to someone who does not want one is inappropriate (even if they are just trying to be supportive)."

McNair says he thought his "hug might help." While many aspects of this incident still need to be sorted out by the school and his mother, what we do know is that, whatever his intention, this hug didn't help the teacher — or him.

Christiano Ronaldo remains uncertain about his Ballon d'Or gala attendance

Cristiano Ronaldo said he still has to decide if he will attend the FIFA Ballon d'Or gala next month.

The Real Madrid ace has been short-listed for the prestigious accolade along with Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Barcelona star Lionel Messi.

However, the Portuguese's presence at the Jan. 13 event in Zurich has been in doubt ever since he and his club reacted angrily to disparaging remarks FIFA president Sepp Blatter made about him during a speech at the Oxford Union Society.

When asked Sunday if he would follow through on a proposed boycott of the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Ronaldo told reporters: “There are still several days for that, we’re talking about it and we’ll see what happens. I hope to win many more trophies but we’re still looking at it with the club.”

Ronaldo, who was speaking at the opening of a museum dedicated to himself in his native Madeira, was more forthcoming when it came to discussing the Seleccao's hopes of progressing from a pool containing Germany, the USA and Ghana at next year's World Cup in Brazil.

“We’ve been drawn in a difficult group," the 28-year-old conceded. "It’s competitive, but I’m confident that we can do well. We just have to get through the first round and then we’ll see what happens.”