IN a bid to resolve the indefinite strike embarked upon by members of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), the House of Representatives Committee on Health Monday summoned the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.

Also to appear before the Mr. Ndudi Elumelu-led committee at a meeting billed to hold on Thursday this week are the Head of Service (HOS) , Alhaji Goni Bukar Aji, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Health minister, Mr. Onyebuchi Chukwu and his Labour counterpart, Mr. Emeka Nwogu.

Elumelu, who met for several hours with stakeholders in the health sector at the National Assembly complex, remarked that the presence of the finance minister is necessary in view of the need to resolve issues relating to outstanding arrears of monies owed the striking doctors.

The lawmaker who expressed concern over the absence of the finance minister at the parley was informed by the health minister who was in attendance that about N6.7 billion was required to settle monies owed the aggrieved doctors.

Chukwu also promised to clarify by Thursday via a freshly written circular the government position on the controversy surrounding the post of deputy chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC) which is a bone of contention between government and the NMA.

The minister had told the lawmakers that the subsisting circular on the issue was suggestive of the fact that once the tenure of the serving DCMAC expires, the position shall remain vacant pending the outcome of the Yahaya report

The NMA President, Mr. Kayode Obembe, who led officials of the union to the parley said contrary to notion held in certain quarters, doctors were actually not interested in the strike.

He explained that the action became necessary when it became obvious that government was not keen on meeting their demands, some of which had been on ground for the past 22 years.

Obembe maintained that aside the issue of settlement of outstanding claims, doctors would not suspend the strike until the key issues of ‘skipping and relativity’ are addressed. Obembe insisted that the question of who takes the last clinical decision must be answered before his members would call off the strike.

At the start of the parley, the trio of Elumelu, Nworgu and Chukwu had pleaded with the Obembe-led executive members to take a cue from their polytechnic counterparts by suspending the strike in the interest of the suffering masses of the country.

Obembe said such request was beyond his powers to approve since it would require the endorsement of the emergency delegate meeting of the NMA drawn from the 36 states of the federation.

source:http://ngrguardiannews.com/news/national-news/170864-reps-summon-okonjo-iweala-anyim-others-over-doctors-strike

we are heading somewhere gradually.
i am happy with obembe's reply.he is learning fast.the decision to call off does not lie with him and if he takes any decision to the contrary,then he should get ready for an impeachment.

It is also high time NMA ask for the sack of the health minister. he is grossly incompetent.
ASUP have suspended their 10month old strike thanks to shekarau who has spent barely a week in office.
it is not difficult to call a roundtable of FG,NMA,MDCAN,NARD and JOHESU to trash these things once and for all.

phantom: we are heading somewhere gradually.
i am happy with obembe's reply.he is learning fast.the decision to call off does not lie with him and if he takes any decision to the contrary,then he should get ready for an impeachment.

It is also high time NMA ask for the sack of the health minister. he is grossly incompetent.
ASUP have suspended their 10month old strike thanks to shekarau who has spent barely a week in office.
it is not difficult to call a roundtable of FG,NMA,MDCAN,NARD and JOHESU to trash these things once and for all.

i wonder why a round table meeting hast been called all this while, the issue on ground is concerning two bodies why do they have to meet separately why not all meet at once and iron out issues once and for all.

Dr obembe smartly sidestepped the trap he is a representative not a dictator.