Nigerian Medical Association (NMA),
Lagos Chapter, has appealed to the Federal
Government to reverse its directive and
withdraw its circular sacking resident
doctors in the country. The Chairman of NMA, Dr Tope Ojo, made the
appeal at a news conference in Lagos on
Saturday.


The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls
that the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi
Chukwu, had on Aug.13, issued a directive
terminating the residency training for
doctors until further notice. Ojo said, government should engage the
association in dialogue to provide lasting
solution to the problems in the health sector. Relating to his words he said, sacking the doctors
will not yield positive result and will instead
further aggravate the problems in the sector. "NMA condemns in totality the alleged
presidential directive via the Federal
Ministry of Health suspending residency
training in the country. "It could be reminisced that such action was
taken in 1985 during Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari's regime.


The Lagos State Government
also sacked some striking doctors in Lagos on
May 7, 2012. "These actions had not yielded positive
results and can never stand the test of time. "Government should show commitment in
resolving the current impasse with the NMA
rather than resorting to punitive measures
that will only further aggravate the already
deplorable situation", he said.

Ojo said that the current strike would
continue and that the immediate reversal of
the sack remained the only condition to
resume talks with government. He, however, advised the affected doctors
against collecting any sack letter or signing
any register opened in any hospital. Dr Olusegun Akinwotu, the President,
Association of Resident Doctors, Federal
Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, said that
such sack would have negative implications
on the sector.


Akinwotu said that it would have huge effect
on the operations of the hospital, as 50% to 70
% of the doctors in government
hospitals were resident doctors. "It will affect medical schools as they will
remain shut because these doctors contribute
about 50% to the training of medical
students.

"All major surgical operations will remain cancelled in all teaching hospitals because the consultants by default perform all major surgeries with the assistance of their resident doctors. "It might even escalate the current Ebola scourge because the majority of the volunteers involved are resident doctors." Dr Babajide Shared, the Secretary of the
association, said the sack of resident doctors
would affect patients negatively. Shared said that there would be increased list
of awaiting patients, delay in surgery
appointments and even delay in attending to emergency cases. "The consultants need the resident doctors to
effectively carry out the task of patient
care."


Relating to the response of the US president, Barak Obama at the US- Africa summit held at Washington DC when african leaders requested for an experimental drug. President obama replied african leaders thus;

"We've got to let the science guide us and
I don't think all the information is in on
whether this drug is helpful. The Ebola virus, both currently and in the past, is controllable if you have a strong public health infrastructure in place."


The President 's action on the NMA's agitation according to some Nigerians could led to more outbreak and even the demise of more patients when the doctors are not there to attend to them. To most Lagosians and many Nigerians, a sack letter is not good this time around.
www.niftyrules.