INTRIGUES OF NMA STRIKE
Paul Obi looks into issues surrounding the recent doctors’ strike and how ego on the side of the doctorsNand the government continues to frustrate good health care delivery in the country.

For decades, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Resident Doctors
(NARD) have become a torn in the flesh of the federal government.
After several tussle from last year, agreement between the doctors and the government broke down in June
leading to an indefinite strike by the doctors.
The outbreak of the infectious Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to many provided an opportunity for the doctors
to be rationale and patriotic and call off the strike. But this was brush aside by the doctors. The
government then wielded the big stick suspending the residency training programme with the sack of about
16,000 medical doctors in the country. The doctors at last called off the strike that lasted 55 days.
Indeed, the assumption of duty by Dr Lawrence Obembe as the President of the Nigerian Medical
Association (NMA) early this year has rather not been the best of times for doctors across the country.
First, attempt by the doctors and government to reach an agreement mediated by the Secretary to the
Federal Government, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu
collapsed midway.
The NMA greatest anger with the government was that the federal government was giving in too much to
the aspirations of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) to the detriment of NMA.
But beyond the call for better welfare package for medical doctors in the country, the need to ensure that
the place of doctors remain supreme above all other health workforce was also at the root cause of the
crisis.
For instance, government intention to sanitise the medical laboratory science practice was vehemently
opposed by the NMA. The decision by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to issue a circular demanding all
importers of medical laboratory equipment to obtain a certification and licence from the Medical Laboratory
Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) was kicked against by the doctors.
According to the NMA, the circular has the potentials of derailing medical practice in the country. To
compound the issue, doctors also do not want any other health worker to share the title of consultant with
them not even when such a person has earned doctorate degree in a medical field. Doctors are also
struggling to take leadership of the various medical laboratories in the country, an exclusive preserve of
medical laboratory scientists.
Further, the crux of the matter during the strike was that while doctors were angling for improved services,
they were also bargaining that the powers accorded to other health workers by government are drastically
water down. It is this approach which the Nigerian public now rely on to adjudge the NMA and its members
with a microscopic lens that sees them as being overtly greedy. To many, the aspirations of the NMA were
not short of the pursuit of ego - centric desires and self-aggrandisement.
Observers believed that that the doctors could not call off their strike in the midst of rampaging Boko
Haram insurgency and the outbreak of the infectious Ebola virus brought into Nigeria by the Liberian -
American, Mr Patrick Sawyer exposes the NMA as absolutely lacking the interest of the poor.
To demonstrate the efficacy of the people's view about NMA, the 24 demands it put before the federal
government for redress bordered more on their personal fulfilment than the uplift of the overall healthcare
system in Nigeria. Not much was said about improvement and upgrading of healthcare infrastructure. The
preponderance of the demands dwelt squarely on emoluments such as hazard allowance and the likes.
To say the least, the strike was merely geared towards massaging the ego and swelling the pockets of
doctors. It was not for improved services for the Nigerian patient. It has never been either, those who
spoke to THISDAY maintained.
To worsen the situation, the NMA house was also not in order. Though, the association appeared then to
be at daggers-drawn with government, within its ranks, there were also obvious cracks. The division within
the NMA became so known that several of its National Executive Council (NEC) meetings ended in a fiasco
alongside threats.
In one of its meetings held at Vines Hotel, Durumi area of Abuja, there was controversy which ended the
meeting abruptly and leading to the resignation of the NMA president, Obembe.
The resignation was said to have been rejected by the NMA executives led by the first Vice President, Dr
Titus Ibekwe. The truth, according to sources with full knowledge of happenings informed THISDAY that
Obembe was in full support for the call to end the strike, while other senior members, former NMA
presidents and executives were against the suspension of the strike.
But days later, the federal government through the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu suspended
the residency training program, which subtly sacked about 16, 000 resident doctors across the country.
Chukwu in suspending the residency training program had said that "following the Presidential declaration
of a National Public Health Emergency on Ebola Disease which has united the entire country in the efforts
to contain the disease, it is quite regrettable that the people who should take leadership role in the fight
against Ebola disease are now the most unsupportive."
Chukwu contended that "all efforts by the government to contain this disease are being frustrated by the
continued industrial strike action of the NMA."
The minister concluded by stating that "the federal government has therefore decided that Residency
Training Programme in Federal Government Hospitals be suspended pending the conclusion of the ongoing
appraisal of the challenges in the health sector."
The sacking of the resident doctors appeared to have rattled the NMA who reconvened and worked to
ensure there was no further division among them.
While protesting against the sack, the doctors even called for the sack of Chukwu and reinstatement of the
resident doctors.
But the sources closed to the NMA told THISDAY that the truth about the strike was that few members who
were supporting the suspension of the strike had big deals with government in the form of HMO and health
insurance scheme. Government was therefore putting them under pressure to suspend the strike or risk
losing out in the HMOs.
Meanwhile, a senior member of the NMA and former executive member of the association was hell-bent on
ensuring that the strike continues.
He was said to be eyeing the post of the Surgeon - General, a position that was included in the 24
demands NMA insisted government must implement before it will call off the strike. The argument for the
setting up of the Office of the Surgeon - General was so strong that NMA saw it as non-negotiatable, a sine
qua non and leeway to the lingering crisis. When Ebola spread to Nigeria, this former NMA official waved
aside growing calls for the suspension of the strike and insisted that until government addresses all their
demands, doctors were not going to botch.
But after 55 days and the intervention of the Senate President, David Mark, including poor public rating of
the NMA, the association last Sunday called off its indefinite strike. While suspending the strike, Obembe
told journalists that "Nigeria is currently faced with health challenges and threats posed by the outbreak of
Ebola virus. Whereas concerted efforts are being made by stakeholders, including medical and dental
doctors despite the strike action to contain this outbreak."
He explained that "having considered the interventions, delegates resolved to suspend the strike action in
the interest of urgent national emergencies while negotiations continue."
Contrary, to many Nigerians, Obembe's and the NMA's 'intervention' to call of the strike came too late. In
fact, if anything, it merely became a post - mortem. Succinctly, it is one strike that left the NMA with more
tortuous bruises than applause.
The association, therefore, needs to adopt a new mechanism that will win back public trust. The 55 days
long strike had portrayed the doctors in bad light before the court of public opinion. It is also hard if
government will be ready to go down the familiar road of negotiations and grandstanding with the NMA.
The new approach and template for the NMA should concentrate on self - reflection and putting the people
first notwithstanding disagreement with government.
For now, the only interest the Nigerian public thinks doctors can fight for to protect is their ego and
improved welfare. Another strike by the NMA, without clearing the doubts in the minds of the people will
leave the association in disarray. That is one path, NMA cannot afford to traverse.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/the-intrigues-of-nma-strike/187536/

Who is the clown that composed this poem?