Nigeria Medical Association is set to embark
on an indefinite nationwide strike over
alleged non-implementation of an
agreement it reached with the Federal
Government.
The association on Saturday held a
marathon meeting to finalise its plans.
The President, NMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele,
in a short text message to one of our
correspondent on Saturday morning said,
“We are meeting to take decisions today.
Thereafter, we shall brief the press.”
Upon SUNDAY PUNCH’s enquiry around
6pm, Enabulele sent another message
indicting that the meeting was still on. At
7:45pm and 9:07pm, respectively, he said
the same thing.
The NMA had on Friday warned that a
collapse of the health sector was imminent,
if the Federal Government did not meet its
final ultimatum on the implementation the
agreement reached by the two parties.
The final ultimatum expires today.
The bone of contention include the upgrade
of hospital facilities and infrastructure;
improvement in doctor’s work conditions;
and the erroneous system in the adopted
salary payment structure known as
Consolidated Medical Salary Structure
(CONMESS).
In a statement by Enabulele on Friday, which
was obtained by an online news agency,
Sahara Reporters, the doctors accused the
Minister of Health, Mr. Chukwu Onyebuchi,
of handling the issue with levity.
The association said after several
postponements of deadlines for meeting all
the demands since July, and on account of
the intervention of some stakeholders, the
doctors had “finally” chosen on December
14, 2013, as the final deadline “beyond
which no other grace would be permissible.”
“Sadly, since the report of the presidential
committee was submitted to the Secretary to
the Government of the Federation, only the
re-constitution and inauguration of the
Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has
been achieved, he said.
However, the Minister of Health, Prof.
Onyebuchi Chukwu, has described NMA’s
threat to embark on nationwide strike as a
dishonour.
Chukwu said he had reviewed the progress
of the implementation of the Federal
Government’s agreement with the
association “and discovered that we have
not done badly.”
The minister said this when he spoke to
SUNDAY PUNCH in Abuja after being
conferred with the Platinum Award of
Excellence in Medicine and Quality Health
care by the Nigerian Medical Students
Association and inducted into the NIMSA
Hall of Fame.
Chukwu said, “Our patients are not our
enemies. I think we should attend to them
and attend to ourselves because we don’t
know who is going to need health services.
There is certainly no need for any strike. I
appeal to them not to bring another hardship
to Nigerians, particularly in this festive
season.
“This is not the time to cause hardship to
ourselves. We should, at least, pity ourselves
and not continue to cause hardship. You
know in this period, usually, there will be a
lot of accidents, people tend to eat too
much, particularly children with
gastroenteritis.”

what do you think the government should do about this?
do you think they should act fast?