By Chioma Umeha
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has
demanded the immediate withdrawal of the threat by the Federal Ministry of
Health to employ temporary doctors to replace resident doctors currently on a
warning strike.
The association made the demand in a statement
jointly signed by its President Prof. Mike Ogirima, and Secretary-General, Dr
Yusuf Sununu, and issued in Abuja on Saturday.
Members of National Association of Resident
Doctors (NARD) on Wednesday, January 18, began a seven-day strike which is
expected to end on Wednesday, January 25.
NMA noted that the government made the threat in a
circular issued on Thursday by the Director of Health Services of the Federal
Ministry of Health to Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Tertiary
Hospitals.
The association emphasised that members of NARD
were on strike to enforce their unmet demands which bordered on the poor state
of health of Nigerians and the welfare of its members.
It identified the issues as unattractive poor
working environments in public hospitals, which was continually weakening the
health workforce through brain drain.
NMA noted efforts to distort the harmony among
healthcare workers by some individuals within the Federal Ministry of Health
which were threatening to completely derail the health system.
The association said NARD was bothered by
selective and biased implementation of the contents of various government
circulars and agreements with regard to the remuneration of doctors.
It described the alleged distortions as a perfect
indication of a lack of political will to end the prolonged crisis in the
health sector.
NMA said NARD was also concerned about the delay
in bringing out a white paper on the various postgraduate medical training
programmes in Nigeria.
“The poor state of our health institutions has not
been in doubt as demonstrated by the World Health Organisation ranking the
Nigerian Health System as number 187 among 191 countries in 2015.
“The repeated patronage of foreign hospitals by
our top government officials and increasing medical tourism to hospitals
overseas by well to do Nigerians,’’ NMA noted were among issues of concern to
NARD.
The association said that the issues in dispute
had already been resolved at meetings mediated by the Honourable Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, in 2016.
