MEDICAL STRIKE; PRESIDENT
JONATHAN DANCING ETIGHI
WITH OUR LIVES
Written by Fejiro Oliver
It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all
physicians graduate in the bottom half of their
class
Unknown
Just when I was about getting ready for my
afternoon games; an sms rushed in, which got
me thinking that the medical war will go on
nonstop until the citizen and the president do
something about it by laying off the minister of
Health, Mr. Chukwu Onyebuchi or acceding to
JOHESU request. I wasn’t thinking because it
was the first sms of the day over my last write
up on the medical strike. As a matter of fact, it
wasn’t
among the first 100 sms and definitely not
among the over 480 mails received at that
moment, but because I concluded that I have
finally known the reason for the power tussle
in the volatile health sector. The message
came thus: “Doctors are the academics in the
health sector, while your so called health
workers-many of them-semi-educated are the
non academic staff. In all jobs, only certain
cadre of workers become CEO. For instance,
the academics in the university, the engineers
in NNPC, Judges in judiciary. That is why
doctors are CMD in hospitals. You claimed you
are a journalist. Perhaps a secretary is the
EDITOR of your newspaper! You are one of
those jealous of doctors. Your article revealed
that.” He ended. This is definitely what they
are made to believe during their housemanship
and internship. If this is so; the medical sector
is dead. With supposed physicians that think
like this, the medical rofession is in peril. Let’s
analyze.
All over the world, there are only three group of
medical profession(I stand to be corrected)
that are ascribed the title ‘doctor’ namely;
doctor of medicine, doctor of physiotherapy
and doctor of dentistry, but this piece is
narrowed down to doctor of medicine. When I
set out to write ‘Nigeria Medical Workers
strike; let us all die’, I wasn’t expecting the
kind of controversy and buzz as it has
generated home and abroad. Certainly I was
threading where angels fear to tread as
revealed by Nigerian Medical Association
(NMA) members who have called and sent
mails. Their various comment suggested that I
was threading on a dangerous path and
should not be the one to open the public eye
to the politicking in the health. Sorry my dear
family members who are part of NMA; the truth
must be told. Our dear friend called other
medical graduates “semi-educated’, a pitiable
summary of their reason for going on strike, so
he sees it. Can a pharmacist who
manufactures the drugs which they in the
doctor category prescribe be a semi illiterate,
and yet they ask the public to take the drugs?
Can a radiographer who do all the scan work
in the hospital be an illiterate and yet they the
so called ‘doctors’ begin treatment, while
dependant on the scan produced by the
radiographer? Is the medical lab scientist an
illiterate when he diagnosis the cause of an
ailment through his series of test carried out
by him that the physicians used in working? Is
the nurse truly semi- literate when a patient
hope of recovery depends on him/her? Bring
them on; is the optometrist a semi illiterate
when patients with various eye problems seek
his medical solution? Who then is the semi
illiterate; the man who calls himself a doctor
but cannot begin treatment until a test is
carried out, or the man who diagnoses and
refers the patient to any of the three doctors?
Is it the man who forgets a scissors or cotton
wool inside a patient body, stitch it up only for
the patient to die later? Let the public judge.
I don’t know the school our doctors went to
but the schools in Nigeria and abroad that I
have been to bears school of health sciences,
faculty of health sciences or college of
medicine and all the various medical
departments are in these departments. It’s
befuddling to say that an insignificant
department that cannot operate alone be
allowed to be a CMD. A professor of medicine
who called from the USA to lend his voice aptly
noted that hospitals are left in the hands of
health administrator not clinicians. Can
someone sing to the heavens to this ‘doctors’
that they have no business heading a hospital
and if they should head, that any of the
medical profession who is most qualified
should head.
That a department of radiology, medical
laboratory scientist (which the media
erroneously refer to as medical laboratory
technologist), optometry etc is headed by a
doctor is an aberration, a misdemeanor and
oddity. What then is the use of studying such
course when the practitioner cannot get to the
peak of his career? Let all medical
departments be headed by a graduate of such;
not a fellow who did only few months of
residency in it. You don’t force leadership
when a people reject it. The various
departments have refused to have MBBS
graduate as their heads. Must they shed blood
or keep this strike going for all our loved ones
to die before their call is heeded?
In the college of engineering, there exist
various departments, but the civil engineers
have never laid claim that they alone be
allowed to head the ministry of works, neither
has the building engineers say to the
structural engineer that it is their prerogative
to head ministry of housing. The
petrochemical engineer has not told the
chemical engineer or petroleum engineer that
they alone be allowed to head NNPC. The land
surveyor has not told the estate surveyor that
they alone be made minister for land survey?
Has the quantity surveyor told the land
surveyor that they should be allowed to be
made surveyor general of the federation? NO!
They all know that they are all engineers and
surveyors, but designated differently for the
smooth operation of the job. Where therein lies
this show of pomposity by a minute member of
the medical profession that they are the
owners of medicine.
The public may not know it, but now they
must! The three profession bearing ‘doctors’
constitute only 30 percent of the entire clinical
staff in the hospital with doctor of medicine
producing a paltry 12 percent. That a group of
12 percent be allowed to Lord over 70 percent
qualified and worthy medical workers is an
unforgivable sin and injustice to mankind. The
academics which are the brain behind the
country do not have only graduates of
educational degrees as Vice Chancellors, but
anybody who is a lecturer no matter the field
of study can be appointed. The Judiciary
which the doctors of medicine want to emulate
is the most professional field in the world,
where universities operate a department as a
faculty. Yet they have never fought each other
that an international law and jurisprudence
judge should not be made a minister of justice.
They have never asked the President to allow
only law school graduates of criminal laws to
be made an attorney general, neither have
they argued that only civil law graduate be
made a chief judge. Anyone of the law
profession is allowed to aspire to be a judge
without hindrances. What then is wrong with
our MBBS doctors?
No medical profession is entirely independent;
all of them are allied to one another; support
staff to each other. Let me tell you an
experience. Five years ago, my cousin who is
a doctor of medicine took me to see his friend
who is a doctor of physiotherapy and was
about to wed in two weeks time. There in the
hospital, I heard his patient, an elderly man
telling him that if he can make him walk before
his wedding day; he, the patient will surprise
him. I don’t know how he did it, but before the
end of the two weeks, the man was hale and
hearty, walking very well. I bet you can never
guess this, but the patient was a consultant
cardiologist! Yes, a consultant cardiologist
who has given hope on life brought back to
‘life’ by another field of medicine. He did make
good his promise as he was a major sponsor
of the wedding.
As I write, in Ahmadu Bello University in a unit
(which I won’t disclose) lies a consultant
pediatrician who has been sustained on
physiotherapy for the past ten years, after a
successful surgery, with many more in the cue
daily for treatment and yet his NMA colleagues
will want the world to believe that they are
indispensable, when actually they contribute
the lowest of medical delivery. I know of
hundreds NMA members whose hope of living
lies in the nurses, DPT and optometrist; yet
they refuse to allow professionalism reign in
the health sector.
When doctors of medicine go on strike, they
want my likes to pen reports that will cause
government to hear and attract public
sympathy, yet when other medical unions go
on same strike; their national president term it
sabotage, urging her members to be on duty.
They want the media to be silent about it,
forgetting that NMA strike does not affect
every patient as there are always skeletal
works going on by consultants and house
officers. But how wrong he is. In the field of
medicine; you are a clinical staff, non clinical
staff or administrative staff. If this is so, what
manner of argument are they propounding that
medicine practice is akin to a house being
built, where other staff are laborers’ while they
are the engineers. It doesn’t just blend.
Fejiro Oliver is always paid by agents, so they
shout. When I wrote advocating for fair trial to
Ibori, they shouted to high heavens that I was
paid millions by Ibori hatchet men; when I
wrote the APC story; APC chieftains screamed
that PDP is using me as their new media man.
When I wrote against my own constituency,
NUJ, for engaging in unprofessionalism; they
say Fejiro was being used by disgruntled
elements and when I broke the Dafinone’s
secret daughter reports, his hangers-on raised
the roof that the secret daughter, Elizabeth
Dafinone has paid me in pounds since she
resides in London. And now that I have written
on the JOHESU/NUPTAM strike, NMA
members allege that I have been paid and
being used by Medical Lab Scientist and
Nurses to heat the polity and cause the sack
of Minister Onyebuchi. If truly I’m being paid
for all the countless reports and stories I have
written for over a decade; I should be flying in
my own private jet, chartering private planes
whenever I go travelling, not boarding a
business class.
Reports emanating from various newspaper
reports, says that patients are already dying,
with many more being evacuated to private
hospitals; yet the doctors are there, helpless
with no solution to the cure as they are
handicapped. Will a doctor of medicine go to
the physio department to treat a case he has
never seen all his life apart from reading about
them (that is if he has ever heard about it). I
write with the spirit of truth and the various
media publishers in Nigeria, London, USA,
Ghana, Vienna, Netherlands etc publish in the
spirit of truth. Nigerians have personally asked
that I express their gratitude to them for being
a vessel of information and making open what
the ordinary masses never knew. I do not just
write as a journalist, but also an activist, who
advocates for the right things to be done and
workers given their due benefits.
Mr. Minister, Nigerians are the ones dying not
your children, they are the ones suffering, not
your immediate relatives. These medical
workers you know as I know do not truly feel
the pains as the electorate, but must they all
die before you tender your resignation
honorably? To you Mr. President, we know you
don’t give a damn, but don’t you also care
that mothers will be made widows, husbands
made widowers and parents who probably
have their only child in the hospital now will
become childless? Dear Jonathan, don’t you
care for the loss of loved ones that will occur
as you dance etighi with lives of Nigerians who
you swore to protect? Is the continous stay of
your Minister of Health more important than
the hundreds of lives of Nigerians that are
already dying? The court appeal made by the
Minister is uncalled for, wicked and delay
tactics, aimed at crucifying the citizenry. By
the way, what were you thinking when you
appointed the minister of health and minister
of health (state) from the same NMA? Were
you thinking the medical workers are fools
who you can ride on and get away with? No,
dear President! These are professionals who
spent years in the university more than you;
these are the men when my grandma had
back pain that the Onyebuchi group referred
us to, these are the men who without them,
my late grand dad would have being buried as
a blind man. It is these men who I rush to for
test and diagnosis when I feel uneasy. Oh
Jona; these are the very people who when our
relations have gone to sleep, leaving the sick
in the ward; they in their glowing white
uniforms take care of them while the NMA
members go to the call room, sit on the sofa,
crossing their legs, sipping tea and watching
DSTV.
They have not asked for much but
harmonization in the health sector as is done
all over the world. Nigerians are saying, ‘grant
them their prayers that we may not die’. Or
have they not elected you and should be able
to tell you what to do? If you could sack the
defense minister and national security adviser,
despite the days of Boko Haram insurgence,
who then is the minister of health that you
cannot show the way out, due to his nepotism,
favoritism, high handedness and
incompetence.
No, I refuse to be part of a cheated generation
a decayed history and a partaker of
oppression. I refuse to be tagged a failure by
my unborn generation, who will question my
role in this moment of history, such as this.
Tomorrow, it just may be my great grandchild
fighting this; it might even be yours. Mr.
President, this azonto dance with the medical
profession is enough; this etighi dance has
gone on too long. There is blood on the dance
floor already and the cries of the innocent
patient who may have been saved by your
quick action is ascending and your name is
being mentioned. When the day of reckoning
comes; what would you answer for these
blood?
These little things matter…
Fejiro Oliver, a Journalist can be reached on
secretsreporters@gmail.com and
+2348026797588 (sms only please). You can
now follow on twitter @fejirooliver86 and
Facebook fejirooliver86

And this is the same policy? that affects the polytechnic graduates who cannot be employed as lecturers even in the polytechnic setting. If paradventure you are, they tagged you asst. Instructor not lecturer

@ mr writer, ur write up is cool but with less objectivity, full of sentiments n hatred. There is what is called "job description" my brother, every body have his/her duty, can u compare a consultant opthamologist to an optommetrist, or a Radiolgist to a radiographer, or a conultant chemical pathologist to a mls(chem path) the answer is NO. There job description vis-a-vis their level of exposure n experience is different. U quoted so many statistics dt are wrong....I'll want u to do more work, finding out international best practices in health care, e.g hierrachy in the medical lab, or eye center, or a radiological center. Its okay to agitate, but when its lacks objectivity but rather enviness and lack of contempt, it won't bring a good result, it will rather break it down further. U can reach me: jayone4real@yahoo.com

Pathologists and MLS, manage the labs together in saner climes like the U.S, it's called Matrix management. Nobody lords over anybody like Nigerians do. In the U.S we now have Doctor of Medical laboratory Science (D.MLS) and their physicians do not get threatened, they are not fighting it like our physicians do. This is exactly why we don't move forward..greed!. The FG should know that if this continues, we will be losing our best brains in the Medical laboratory Science field to the U.S,Canada and Australia. As i speak to you they are attracting MLS professionals to their countries and are ready to offer them green cards. The average age of an CLS/MLS in the U.S is 50, in Canada is even higher, pegged at 55 so they foresee a drought of MLS/CLS professional skills in the nearest future as many students are only recently becoming interested in the field of MLS. So they beckon on Internationally trained MLS to write and pass the ASCP exam so they can become eligible to work in the U.S and fill the gaps, Professional growth is also encouraged as no one places a ceiling over anyone's head as we do here. We've already experienced massive brain drought in many sectors of our National life. Are we going to continue like this?...time will tell. Posterity is a great judge.

ur write is good but hatred and sentiments would kill u. let me tell u that doctors are not interfering with work of physiothetapists ,nurses or pharmacists. doctors are not heading their departments. in lab for exanple chemical pathology department has metabolic clinic,point of care testing and core lab units,chemical pathologists direct the affair of department and a chief scientist heads lab unit. dito for haematology,micro and histopathology and radiology.in usa doctors head those departments. you can check CLİA88 law of usa. college of america pathologists determine what happens in hospital laboratories. check ur facts.
on cmd, have u seen cmd of an hospital without mba or master in hospital administration.no. if administrators head hospitals i promise that u would see collapse of health facilities like nitel or banks.managers of engineering companies are engineers.

if health workers want to be cmd they should not blocking creation of surgeon-general office. u cannot have it all. in usa there is office of surgeon-general. but health workers stop it.why?
for minister non-medical doctors have served as minister e.g nwosu and lambo for about seven years ib succession. did nma complain then.in some states non-medical doctors have appointed as health commissioners.
mr journalist try to be objective.

YourHealthlabs: Pathologists and MLS, manage the labs together in saner climes like the U.S, it's called Matrix management. Nobody lords over anybody like Nigerians do. In the U.S we now have Doctor of Medical laboratory Science (D.MLS) and their physicians do not get threatened, they are not fighting it like our physicians do. This is exactly why we don't move forward..greed!. The FG should know that if this continues, we will be losing our best brains in the Medical laboratory Science field to the U.S,Canada and Australia. As i speak to you they are attracting MLS professionals to their countries and are ready to offer them green cards. The average age of an CLS/MLS in the U.S is 50, in Canada is even higher, pegged at 55 so they foresee a drought of MLS/CLS professional skills in the nearest future as many students are only recently becoming interested in the field of MLS. So they beckon on Internationally trained MLS to write and pass the ASCP exam so they can become eligible to work in the U.S and fill the gaps, Professional growth is also encouraged as no one places a ceiling over anyone's head as we do here. We've already experienced massive brain drought in many sectors of our National life. Are we going to continue like this?...time will tell. Posterity is a great judge.

look at ASCP.pathologists are included in the board but mlscn does not want see pathologists in lab. usa both pathologists and medical technologist/mls work side by side in lab. even graduates of life sciences work but nigeria med lab scientists say no other lab professionals should be seen in lab.
i have some mls calling themselves pathologists. even in usa where u have doctors of mls they are not called pathologists. there are different.
in australia pharmcologists are allowed to open pharmacy shops nigerian pharmacists say no.

[quote

author=Laalamed]
look at ASCP.pathologists are included in the board but mlscn does not
want see pathologists in lab. usa both pathologists and medical
technologist/mls work side by side in lab. even graduates of life
sciences work but nigeria med lab scientists say no other lab
professionals should be seen in lab.
i have some mls calling themselves pathologists. even in usa where u
have doctors of mls they are not called pathologists. there are
different.
in australia pharmcologists are allowed to open pharmacy shops nigerian
pharmacists say no.[/quote]

Pharmacologist dont av the same clinical experience, they don't av the same
dispensing background we were given. Pharmacology is not enough to make
u a pharmacist, so its not just proper...

Wonderful write up! This is the hidden truth of what transpires in the health sector. I pray we get it right soon.

Mr journalist or wat do u call ursef....nxt tym you write try to be more objective in ur subsequent write ups.

Its obvious dat that gamont of trash u called an article is full of hidden sentiments and envy. or aw else will explain d basis of comparison btw an optician(who's work is to 'cut' d appropriate glass for any eye defect) to a consultant opthamologist..I actually stopped reading @ dat point...It showed aw deeply empty u are.

For heaven sake a doctor is d head of any medical team.and who d hell told u doctors can't work without other health professionals....

Some 1 like u have neva been 2 a teachin hospt m sure..or else u won't come here and flunt ur ignorance.

I rather practise in uganda dan practice as a doctor under a nurse in this county

Olanight: Mr journalist or wat do u call ursef....nxt tym you write try to be more objective in ur subsequent write ups.

Its obvious dat that gamont of trash u called an article is full of hidden sentiments and envy. or aw else will explain d basis of comparison btw an optician(who's work is to 'cut' d appropriate glass for any eye defect) to a consultant opthamologist..I actually stopped reading @ dat point...It showed aw deeply empty u are.

For heaven sake a doctor is d head of any medical team.and who d hell told u doctors can't work without other health professionals....

Some 1 like u have neva been 2 a teachin hospt m sure..or else u won't come here and flunt ur ignorance.

I rather practise in uganda dan practice as a doctor under a nurse in this county

your last paragraph says a lot about you and so be it. Damn, i think you're the one that is not being objective here. Smh student!!!!!!!!

Is this All about ENVY, HATRED, POSITIONS or the̶̲̥̅̊ CARE OF the̶̲̥̅̊ SICK?

I think if d health sector is moving well, it shd b allowed to continue. And if all these health workers are doing thr work judiciously for d sick, our health sector will stand. Let's forget abt bn selfish, no 2ppl can b president @same time. Do ur best in ur area and everybdy does hs best, things will b good.

Now, ds fight against Drs is jst d starting point of d chaos dt will engulf ds healthworkers if care is not taken, thus,
Nurses: BSc nurses r in secret fight wi d Dipl nurses.
Pharm: the̶̲̥̅̊ Pharmacists don want pharmacologists to operate pharmacy.
MedLabSc.: d r against Microbiologists, Biochemists etc to do a year course to get qualified to operate as Lab Scientists...

I can go On and On....

So I wud rada ask dem to continue in thr services of saving human lives than d greed for positions...(Note, d attain Head/Directors in thr diff fields)...