NMA: THE ACT OF STANDING ALONE...
In one week, about 16,000 Resident Doctors
had their residency suspended which
technically means they lost their jobs yet
there isn't much of PUBLIC SYMPATHY to
their plight! NLC/TUC have not issued
warnings to the FG nor did we have million
man marches on the streets of Abuja in
solidarity with them... Its hard to believe
that an event of such magnitude went
underway yet all appears to be so calm.
Why?
While the members of NMA would simply
wish to have us dismiss the above stated
questions away with a whish of our hands, it
tells VOLUMES about what the NMA and its
affiliates have become. The general public
that should have risen to stoutly defend
them seem to have gotten weary of the many
malfeasance of NMA owing to increased
general awareness of the cold war that had
festered within the "QUIET" ambience of our
nation's hospital.
Its noteworthy that over the years, the
inherent arrogance of NMA made them feel
"larger than life" and thus felt that a
separate NICHE in this world should be
reserved for them EXCLUSIVELY (no wonder
they demand for SPECIAL PLATE NUMBERS)
and thus withdrew from all forms of Unions
in Nigeria. NMA withdrew its membership of
NLC and TUC. They pulled out of the various
statutory unions in the health sector. In
effect, they stood ALONE!!
Though this solitary potentiation had
favoured them for a while as they succeded
in maligning various govts to achieve their
aim and of course they always had their way
owing to the differential interests of the
other members of their team. However, that
said goodbye in the birth of the JOINT
HEALTH SECTOR UNION (JOHESU); a union
encompassing all other professional groups
in the hospital.
The birth of JOHESU woke govt up to the
reality that the hospital wasn't a home for
NMA alone and thus began the genesis of
worries for NMA...
Now, the NMA appears to be so vulnerable,
having NO PARTNERS AND FRIENDS. Worst of
all, they have lost public sympathy. Alas!!
Hence, a Profession as noble as medicine has
been brought to so much disrepute due to
the negativities of its members. Very
disturbing signals that should worry NMA are
emerging... Imagine, Nigeria successfully
wades through a delicate outbreak of epideic
while Doctors are on strike! Hmmmmm...
So now a warning to NMA; the recent
REGRETABLE suspension of Physicians'
residency may only be the beginning of
greater worries to come for NMA. Of course
the strike weapon of NMA appears to have
blunted since the formation of JOHESU, thus
robbing NMA of its one and only joker! Its
imperative for NMA to find ways for cordial
relationship with their co-workers. They
must purge themselves of the repudiating
toga of ARROGANCE & PURE EGO TRIPPING.
NMA must begin to seek the general well
being of all health workers no matter how
"small" they may be.
The ongoing drama certainly proves the old
saying that THERE IS STRENGHT IN UNITY....
UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL...
9JA 4 LIFE

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Why conclude so early on an epic drama that is yet unfolding ?

You are only being economical with the truth when you alluded to Nigeria Wading through the Ebola storm without the doctors. Go to the isolation centre in Lagos and see for yourself.

Who do you suppose are in charge of the victims currently on admission besides the 2 American doctors? JOHESU??

NMA being on strike during the ebola outbreak might have even been a blessing in disguise. As Doctors were on strike, patients no longer patronised the public hospitals. I think we would be telling a different story in the country now if a single ebola patient went to a public hospital. Public hospitals where common gloves and face masks are a rarity in the accident/emergency department. I don't need to say more about the state of our public hospitals. About the suspension of Residency program, methinks the government want Resident Doctors to collect the sack letters and thereafter lift the suspension and re-engage them with "new" appointments letters carrying "new terms" which I'm sure would be geared towards preventing them clamoring for anything in the future. That's probably why NARD advised them not to collect the sack letters. All in all, a country in this age cannot exist without specialist Doctors and it's the residency program that produces specialist Doctors. Nigeria is not an "attractive" country where you can expect foreign Doctors to flock in to take those positions. Even if the government want to bring in foreign Doctors, those guys would ask for mega-pay(many times higher than what Nigeria currently pays it's highest-ranking Doctors) and the government would end up where they started; they would still spend more money on Doctors. However in this case, by increasing the number of unemployed Nigerians (Nigerian Doctors) which doesn't put any country in good light. But if Nigeria's "democratic" past is to be followed, the government simply wouldn't give a damn.

Above posts, the writer is talking about why NMA is alone not why residency is important which from various threads has been exhausted.

the op seems myopic in this write up, NMA was NEVER in NLC/TUC so the issue of "withdrawing" is false. NMA is a professional body and so will NEVER join NLC. public hospitals are paralysed because NMA is on strike so why should we solicit for support from any health worker when we can paralyse activities in the hospitals ALONE?