Striking doctors under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), yesterday refused to shelve their 28-dayold strike, but urged the Federal Government to resolve the problems it created in the health sector to pave the way for the doctors to resume work. The stand taken by the striking doctors was despite the death of the first victim of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Lagos last week.

According to the new NMA Chairman, Dr. Tope Ojo, the failure of the Federal Government to resolve the problems would prolong the current strike, adding that doctors were not willing to continue working in a chaotic environment occasioned by policies that were not in line with modern day medical practice.

Specifically, the new chairman blamed the strike on the Federal Government’s refusal to honour the previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with the doctors. After signing agreements with the doctors, Ojo lamented that the government would back out, refusing to honour it.

While addressing the media, Ojo cited the example of the Federal Government’s approval creating the position of a surgeon-general to be occupied by a medical doctor, but which the government reneged upon.

Similarly, doctors are calling for the reversal of the ‘consultant’ status it approved as part of the hierarchical promotion for health workers. Based on the foregoing, the NMA called for the reinstatement of the position of Deputy Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) in teaching hospitals, among others. Ojo appealed to Nigerians to put pressure on the government “to do the needful and save the health sector from imminent collapse.”

While the NMA regretted the avoidable morbidity and mortality occasioned by the strike, the association lamented that “the debacle is forced on the Nigerian people by the conspiracy of a ruling class that thrives on money/material legislation.

“Another contentious issue is government’s willingness to grant these allied health workers the title of consultant, a situation that if allowed will create unending anarchy,” Ojo said. He said the title ‘consultant’ in medical practice is preserved exclusively for a doctor that has gone through a minimum of six years excruciating full time, post graduate academic training (after the initial undergraduate period of a minimum of six years).

The patient is traditionally registered under a consultant, who owns the patient and reserves the right of command on all issues of medical treatment and also takes responsibility for success or failure in the chain of events.”