About two months after calling out its members for a nationwide strike, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)appears to be divided on whether to suspend the action or not.
A press conference that was scheduled to take place on Sunday was put off for undisclosed reasons.
“Please bear with us, we will call you in 48 hours time,” a spokesperson of the association had simply said, dismissing the gathered newsmen.
But an emergency meeting of the NMA leadership which kicked off by 3:00 pm was still going on as at the time of this report.
The NMA had declared a strike over some irreconcilable differences with the Federal Government.
Our correspondent was informed that at the meeting attended by some past Presidents of the NMA, there were disagreements on whether to shelve the strike or not.
The meeting had in attendance, three past presidents of the association: its immediate-past president and delegate to the ongoing National Conference, Dr. Osahon Enabulele; another past President of the NMA and Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Omede Idris and Dr. Prosper Igboele.
Others who were at the meeting were member, Board of Trustees of the NMA and Emir of Songa, HRH Haliru Yahaya; Registrar, National Post-Graduate Medical College, Prof. Wole Atoyebi and former Chairman, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria who is also with the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.
The NMA leadership is divided on the strike; while some led by its current President, Dr. Kayode Obembe, are pushing for the suspension of the action, others said they would not suspend the action when the federal government has not listened to them, a source told Huhuonline.com
One of the attendants of the meeting was quoted as saying: “If we suspend the action now, the present government and even subsequent governments won’t take us serious any time we declare nationwide strikes again. That is the major issue and not any insinuation that somebody has been settled.”
Obemeb had, a few weeks after his election, premised the strike action on the failure of the government to address their demands saying there was no going back.
The NMA had sent 24 demands to the government including discontinuation of recognition of non-medical doctors as Directors and Consultant title to any other health worker, other than medical doctors.
The demands also included appointment of a Surgeon – General of the Federation, clinical duty and hazard allowances and withdrawal of the Central Bank of Nigeria circular on medical laboratory equipment.
“The NMA is taking this painful route because our silence and gentle approach to these contending issues have been taken for granted. We have to take this action in order to save the health care delivery system from anarchy that is palpably imminent. We hereby appeal to all Nigerians for their understanding and to press on Government to meet with our demands,” Obembe had stated.
He had further stated that the failure of government to address NMA’s demands has left the association with no other option than “to call all its members to down their tools in order to press home their demands.”
According to him, there was no way non-doctors could be allowed to function as Consultants given that they do not oversee patients in the hospital.
“A Consultant is the owner of the patient; many health workers now go about acquiring Ph.D so that they can be called Doctors. The title should be restricted to only a medical doctor,” Obembe argued.
But the strike had been laced with reactions.
While the President of Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, Dr. Steven Oluwole, had recently raised alarm that government wants to privatise hospitals and proscribe NMA, the federal government had challenged striking Doctors to a “high-powered debate” before the public on the contentious issues concerning the alleged breach of agreement which necessitated the strike.
The government also said it had fulfilled its own part of the bargain by 100 percent and wondered why the NMA leadership would still be flexing muscles after signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, threw the challenge during the signing of $15 million agreement with the Norwegian government, which was offered to Nigeria for the upscaling of Maternal and Child Health.
“The update on the strike is that they (NMA) have signed the second MoU with us on the 3rd July. For two times now, they have said they would call off the strike; they have signed. I don’t know, when someone gives you a check, you are expected to go and cash your money,” he said.
When asked if government had truly fulfilled its part of the bargain, he replied, “absolutely, 100 percent absolutely and that is why I said may be we should have a high-powered debate before Nigerian public. Let each side state what their issues are, let’s take it one by one. I am assuring Nigerians that as their Minister of Health, on my honour, the Federal Government, led by President Goodluck Jonathan has done what it ought to do.
“That is why they signed an MoU. Why will you sign an MoU when you are not satisfied with the negotiation? These two negotiations took place for over 24 hours; that is whole day without sleep,” Chukwu said.
