CRACKS have appeared in the setup of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, as some doctors have threatened to pull out of the Association currently on a nationwide indefinite strike.

Pointers to this development emerged weekend as a result of a sharp division among the doctors that became pronounced during the delegates meeting of the NMA which took place in Abuja. This has would break from the NMA and form their own separate bosy.

The two-hour meeting which was scheduled to start by 8am could not begin until 9am and lasted over 12 hours.

It was later gathered that NMA could not resolve its internal issues and hence the delegates voted that the strike should continue.

A reliable source who attended the meeting told our reporter that the meeting could told our reporter that the meeting could not arrive at a conclusion to call off the strike because the NMA officials refused to table to the entire delegates the 24-point demands ot gave the Federal government for assessment at the meeting. 

The source said rather, the NMA officals only tabled three points to the delegates for discussion. 

This, however brought a heated argument and sharp division among the doctors. The also led other members of the delegate to accuse the NMA officials for having ulterior motives in embarking on the strike.

The source who pleaded ananymity said: "The meeting could not arrive at a tangible conclusion on the strike because the delegated demanded the 24-points demands be placed on the table for assessment and therefore call-off the strike, but the officials only presented three point, "This did not go down well to the delegates. Most of the doctors are eager to call off the strike.

"The meeting was aimed at assessing the impact of the strike and also look at efforts of the government on meeting the 24-point demends, We wanted to see if the government have really tried in meeting some of the demands, then we call off the strike and continue with negotiation.

" Most doctors are worried that innocent people are sufferung while others are dying. Again, the issue of Ebola has come up. Therefore most of the doctors are eager to go back to work as to save people from dying unnecessarily.

"There is division among the doctors Majority of the doctors said if the officials cannot bring to the table the 21-points demand for discussion, then there is no way the strike could be suspended."

In the view of President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, Dr Steven Oluwole: "Contrary tothe misrepresentations of members of the issues date back decades. The endurance of members have been abused by government and a section of the public.

"The oath of the Physician should not be used to blackmail doctors, or to permit destruction of the medical profession by self-seeking and adventurous health workers who seek hideous ascendancy."

On the Ebola outbreak, he started that government and the public expect the doctors to confront the Ebola virus, but ignore that th virus has no respect for persons 

"A leading doctor in Liberia has died of infection by the Ebola virus, While doctor receives N5,000 hazard allowance in Nigerian public service.

"It is extremely insensitive for some agents of governement to suggest that money will not be printed to satisfy doctors. These agents spend mush more public funds on less savoury purposes. Doctors that have died or have contracted infectious diseases from patients over the decades. Many have had their careers truncated without compensation,. he remarked.