AGAIN, Doctors in Public-owned hospitals on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 embarked on an indefinite strike to press home their demands for improvements on their welfare. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) President, Dr. Kayode Obembe while making the announcement in Abuja on Monday, June 30, 2014 said the decision followed the expiration of a two-week ultimatum which NMA earlier gave the federal government to meet its 24 – point demand.

 

OBEMBE who described the strike as “total and indefinite” also said that negotiations with the federal government had failed to yield the relevant results, hence the NMA had to take the painful route of an indefinite strike as its “silence and gentle approach to contending issues had been taken for granted.”

 

SOME of the major issues in contention according to the NMA include reserving the position of Chief Medical Director (CMD) to only Medical Doctors, appointment of Surgeon General of the Federation, passage of the National Health Bill and Providing Security for Doctors most of whom have become unwarranted victims of kidnapping.

 

OTHER demands are increase in duty, hazard and specialist allowances, as well as budget for residency training programme, reintegration of its members into the IPPIS platform and reserving the title of Consultants to only Medical Doctors, among others. No doubt, these demands are genuine and understandable.

 

FEELERS from the health sector are so disturbing that students in Medical Schools are now reportedly unable to find places for their housemanship; the mandatory training that attaches them to medical facilities. This in itself is a sad reflection of the weak economy.

 

HOWEVER, while the members of the public fully appreciate the need for doctors to have a fair deal from the federal government, because of their most essential services to humanity, there can be no denying the fact that even the public is more concerned about the quality of medical services, both in the private and public hospitals. Obviously, the public has a longer list than the 24 demands which doctors are making. While the public can understand the pains and frustration of the doctors arising from their unmet demands, the same public cannot understand the logic behind the on-going avoidable loss of lives induced by this current doctors’ strike.

 

The Hippocratic Oath, to which all doctors subscribe, places saving of lives above every principle or consideration in the conduct of medical doctors. That being so, The NIGERIAN OBSERVER expects the doctors to respect this Oath while at the same time we call on the federal government to use the same well laid down best practices which have worked perfectly well in other climes to cater for both doctors and members of the larger society in such a manner to arrest unending or incessant strikes.

 

MORE often than not, governments do not respect the agreements they voluntarily enter into with unions while they expect unions to abide by those aspects of the agreement that are binding on them. This is most uncharitable. For instance, the current NMA strike is being embarked upon despite a court order forbidding the strike by health workers, an order which the federal government had obtained from the National Industrial Court, Abuja. The court order also halted the implementation of agreements reached with government until the substantive case before it is resolved. So, before the federal government and the law, the on-going strike is illegal. And where does this stalemate lead us?

 

WE are bothered that the federal government has taken a path that will make the amicable resolution of the impasse far-fetched. How do you approach a court to halt implementation of an agreement that was freely entered into, and expect the other party to take it serious?

 

IN the light of the above, we call on the federal government to urgently return to the negotiating table and make conscious effort at meeting some, if not all of the demands of the doctors, rather than playing the Ostrich. The lives of Nigerians should be of paramount importance to both the government and the doctors, hence a quick and pragmatic resolution of the crisis is recommended.