The attention of Joint Health
Sector Unions (JOHESU) has been drawn to the publication (Advertorial) by the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in various newspapers including social media from the 9th of April to 30th of May, 2014.

Whereas the Publications would have been ignored for obvious lack of credence and immaturity aptly demonstrated by the NMA
and its appendages, on a second thought, the leadership of JOHESU, considered the inherent danger such malice, misinformation, such publications if not corrected, could impact on the uninformed public and resolved to respond, if only to
refute the unguarded and unprofessional utterances of the groups, not to mention the level of absurdity the issues raised epitomize, which further stretched the incredibility to an agonizing crescendo. The issues taken point to point with rebuttal, are as follows:

1. Threat of Nation-wide Strike and the Chibok Girls

NMA and its groups would be shocked to hear that JOHESU shelved its strike slated for Monday 19th May 2014 because of its sympathy with the Government and the people of this great country over the tragedy that befell the Nation. Again, the leadership of JOHESU offered special prayers at various times and in particular at its
meeting with the Government on the 13th May, 2014 over Nyanya Bomb blast and the abducted Chibok girls. That would not be said of NMA and its affiliates. In spite of the fact that the Nation
was thrown into mourning and sadness, the NARD (at that student doctors) in full blast embarked on a 3 day Nation-wide warning
strike, a situation widely reported on the electronic and print media with such condemnation. The strike was yet another opportunity for striking doctors to divert patients in public facilities to their private facilities. What could be so callous and insensitive than this!

2. Attack on NLC & TUC

NMA attacked the NLC and TUC for
supporting JOHESU in its endeavour to improve on the poor state of the Nation’s health sector being mismanaged by the
Medical doctors, is baseless and a clear demonstration of NMA’s attempt to cover up the rot in the sector which is the result of years of mis-management of the health
sector by Nigerian doctors who were in charge. Both Labour Centres, NLC and TUC, have as affiliates all the five member-unions of JOHESU, all of them registered by the Trade union Acts and the extant laws. NMA and its
groups are not registered trade unions, yet are known to engage in trade union activities, by negotiating conditions of service and most often incite the government against the rest of the other health practitioners given their privileged leadership position in the sector. This is
contrary to the NIC judgment of 20th June, 2011, in a case of Hon. Attorney General of Enugu State VS National Association of
Medical & Dental Practitioners (NAGGMAP), in which NICN ruled “that the right to strike is
a right that belongs to a trade union” meaning that NMA and its group, legally lack this right, to embark on or negotiate conditions of service and even enter into collective bargaining with its employers. In other words, NMA has used blackmail to
coerce and intimidate the government to enter into agreement, all of which ordinarily
are illegal. As the saying goes, two wrongs cannot make a right, therefore we say enough is enough. Most JOHESU cases went through NIC and were favourably disposed in the JOHESU favour. NMA cases should equally be
subjected to judicial process as in that of Enugu NIC in 2011. The Federal Ministry of Health is enjoined to stop playing double
standards with personnel issues in the health sector.

3. Crisis in the Health Sector - is it Political?
Perhaps, NMA and its appendages need to inform the ordinary citizen of this country properly on this issue. Since the days of Professor Olikoye Ransome Kuti, a onetime Minister of Health, who awarded the Medical Doctors Super Salary of MSS/MSSS and the
others in the health sector, HSS in 1991, thereby removing the single spine salary structure, undermining the issue of salary
relativity/parity, thus creating a huge gap differential that has remained unjustifiable till date, crisis has become an integral part of the health sector. Again, in 2009, CONMESS was given doctors, which further expanded
the salary band from 1 – 7 at entry point of GL.13 for a newly qualified doctor! Besides
this, the entire health structure came under the headship of the Medical Doctors, thereby
giving them privileged positions that the Job Evaluation conducted and supervised by the office of the Secretary to the Government of
the...continue reading on http://www.medicalworldnigeria.com/2014/07/johesu-press-release-on-the-nma-strike-and-the-imminent-crisis-in-the-health-sector