₦airaland Forum

thaqib: pls tell me it is yearly, can't be monthly. Would dey collect furniture allowance monthky ni? I go faint o..

which yearly
thats why i said nigerians are mentally deranged.

THUNDER4real: If they go on strike, and only drs are on duty, the hospital will be more dead than it is now.

oga you know this is not true. when johesu goes on strike they lock up vital equipment doctors need just to frustrate us.
they have been known to even lock doctors out of departments.
instances abound where JOHESU mandates its members to switch of power from the gen when doctors are busy in the theatre.
clinics and wards run. theatres run. you know this is a fact!!

femi i appreciate you stopping by and dropping your opinion.its appreciated

concerning your first point, the relationship the writer talked about was the informal one,not the one formed in clinics and wards.
for instance the doctor is probably the only professional that consult ON THE ROADSIDE OR OVER THE PHONE.
i have friends and even people i dont know from adam who call me up to seek for medical advice. in such situations many doctors still go ahead to consult and recommend drugs over the phone.
my neighbourhood tailor and generator mechanic call me up at anytime to complain BUT they NEVER give me free service. i must pay for everything even if its sewing a button to a shirt or an oil change for my gen.

many nigerians have such relationships with doctors.its an informal relationship. But with this nationwide sacking of doctors, opinions from those same people have deeply saddened many of us. people we have helped at one time or the other are gloating at this event.
it has shocked every doctor to his bones.we now realize that many nigerians despise doctors.
sadly that informal relationship will have to end.
from now on,no more free consultations. every damn thing will be paid for.

we are not fighting tooth and nail to subdue anybody.i wont discuss the money-based demands because you appear to have a problem with the other demands that have to do with johesu
they want to be consultants but the doctors are saying that consultancy is not given by appointment.
dont be decieved,they want consultancy status BECAUSE OF THE SPECIALIST ALLOWANCE ATTACHED TO IT.
doctors are saying that their own consultancy is gotten after further postgraduate training for a period between 6 and 8 years.
so a medical consultant can GIVE MORE TO HIS PATIENTS because he has added value to himself in a certain field.

my brother,consultancy for pharmacists,lab techs,radiographers and nurses WILL NOT ADD ANYTHING TO PATIENT MANAGEMENT.
the consultant pharmacist will still dispense
the consultant nurses will still do what they do best
the consultant lab techs will do no extra thing on top of what they do now.
DONT BE HOODWINKED. it has no extra value in a tertiary hospital setting BUT WILL CAUSE CONFUSION.
in a country where anybody in a white ward coat is a doctor,if you really have insight,you will know that this will increase quackery.
Our people are not informed enough to ask "are you a doctor?" talk more of asking "are you a consultant?"

they are quick to tell you what obtains abroad. yes there are consultant nurses and pharmacists BUT THEY ARE NOT HOSPITAL BASED.google it!
abroad,what are the QUALIFICATIONS required to be called consultant nurse or pharmacist are our people ready to undergo further training for that?

Education, Training and Qualifications

Diploma or degree in nursing
Masters level education in advanced clinical practice
Has or working towards PhD
Post graduate research training
Teaching and assessing in clinical practice
May have additional qualifications related to a specialist area

i couldnt get the qualifications for the pharmacists.

the post of surgeon general is important.abroad it has always been PHYSICIANS.
the current SG of the US is a doctor. the nurse johesu is quick to point to in the US is Lt.general patricia horoho who is the SURGEON GENERAL OF THE US ARMY. 2 different positions entirely.she is there now because she is the most senior officer in medical services of the US army(army respects rank so that shouldnt come as a surprise!)

nobody is asking that johesu should not get a hazard allowance. that is not one of NMAs demands. please read them again.
every health worker should get a commensurate hazard allowance. NMA is not against that. please be informed.

the post of CMD should be for physicians only. what johesu should be clamouring for is office of the CEO who must be someone with a management degree or training who oversees CMD,CNO etc
they wont tell you that in our hospitals today,apart from the post of CMD,there is a post of DA(director of admin) who handles administrative matters.
contrary to what many people think,many of these issues are not to subdue others but to maintain decorum and sanity in our hospitals.
there will be confusion!

but that is what they are .they are support staff. if they are not,why are the hospitals dead?

look ,the earlier these people realise that they even HAVE THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF THE DOCTORS,the better for them.

this is the facebook post of a friend..decided to post it here for all. enjoy!

I have been reading my News Feed with very keen interest the last few days.

The truth is, even if GEJ ends up recalling the sacked Resident Doctors, whatever was left of the chord between Doctors and the masses has been finally broken. The mass euphoria that greeted the sack was not surprising, but only goes to confirm the level of ignorance and Double Standards Nigerians live daily.

When Lecturers go on strike, the masses blame Government, when Tanker Drivers go on strike, Government is blamed, when even the Police went on strike during OBJ's era, the Government was blamed. But somehow, the Doctors are mysteriously at fault when its their turn:

1. Nobody asks about how it is that the Government breaches agreements from year to year, agreements of which salary IS JUST ONE COMPONENT. The same Government that makes the promise breaches the same EFFORTLESSLY and waits for the last day of a strike action notice to re-commence negotiations over the same issue.

2. Nobody asks about how it is that a Doctor's hazard allowance is 5,000 naira monthly (at the risk of contacting, HIV, Ebola, Hepatitis, Yellow Fever and all other deadly diseases), while a Senator/HOR member takes several times that amount for entertainment allowance.

3. Nobody looks at how facilities within the Hospitals severely undermine the capacity for the Nigerian Doctor (and other health care Professionals) to be efficient, part of the reasons for which they go on strike.

Yet, at the commencement of each strike, the reflex action is to vilify them. People have severally talked about the Hippocratic oath. I say to you, if you cannot read the whole document......,you deserve pity, for you do not know who is actually killing you.

For those who say Essential Services cannot go on strike, please HIDE YOUR IGNORANCE. I will give you instances where Doctors have gone on strike, even in saner societies. The records are verifiable. (please note that while I am talking about Doctors, other emergency services like the Police and Fire-service are also recorded to have gone on strike in Brazil and UK respectively)

1.The United Kingdom where I work has one of the most stringent rules concerning strike action, yet there is no law banning any group from striking. Even Doctors. And you know what? Doctors went on strike in 2012!!.

2.When I worked in the Carribean, Doctors went on strike in 2010!!

3. Even while Isreal was bombarding Gaza, ISREALI DOCTORS WERE ON STRIKE.

Now, where did the UK and Trinidad Government differ from their Nigerian counter-parts?

1. The Governments acted swiftly and decisively. They did not wait for the strikes to linger before a pot-bellied minister comes and lazily addresses a press conference that negotiations have begun.

2. The Governments HONOURED their agreements.

3. NOBODY ever dreamt of sacking them en masse. Of course the issue should not even arise when agreements have not even been honoured.

I am not saying you must understand the technicalities of the medical field to appreciate the stance of Nigerian Doctors, you do not have to. Its all COMMON SENSE, but I have become increasingly aware that even common sense is not that common.

Anyway, this is just for the records. The rubicon has somewhat been crossed. I would not advocate any revenge or vindictiveness on the populace, but I think its high time the relationship be properly defined. Within the context of appropriately caring for the patient, it should be quid pro quo.

The greatest emotion should be empathy, not sympathy. It should be Professional and impersonal, not informal and personal. Where finances are involved, its either you have your money or go to Government to heal you. I went through great lengths for my training which my parents paid for (it was not free). I spent over 6 years in University while most others spent 4, with a few spending 5. My counter-parts abroad who obtained loans to train are still paying off their loans years after graduation. Even after graduating, I will spend years training myself to become a specialist. If we were to go by your principles that those in these categories are students and should not be paid, then a Doctor would be well over 40 years (or 45 depending on the specialty) before he earns his first salary, but I know common sense is not common.

When I go to you for services, you even jerk up your fees because I am a Doctor. I have other bills to pay (They do not disappear you know). I also have mouths to feed. Sometimes, I am the SOLE BREAD-WINNER. I went to study medicine to help humanity, but like everyone else, to be able to make a decent living. So, my friend, you are free to rejoice that they have been sacked. But be ready to appropriately share the burden of an irresponsible government. The Doctors have borne it for so long. Records show Doctors never striked in the past, other bodies did it for them, then they started when it was obvious other bodies had their problems and Governments were not listening, but then they still kept emergency services open, now they are so hardened some can even walk away from emergency posts during a strike, and you still cannot smell the coffee? SORRY.


isreali doctors strike

trinidad doctors strike

UK doctors strike

jaimacan doctors strike

german doctors strike 2006

german doctors strike 2012

maclatunji: #Extreme

I feel blessed to have been born in Nigeria.

I don't!

one of the worst things that can happen to a baby is being born into Nigeria.

Joenz: Reasonable individuals have learnt to ignore this rabid dog called Paul John over time!Saint pope John Paul we all know,this wannabe I just a nonentity at best.Phantom how market?you didn't see the sack coming did you?@ least it will reduce the caos in the health sector to some point.lol

na you i suppose dey ask how market abi una no dey work ni?

you guys should be consulting and treating patients na.

but why are the hospitals still drier than the sahara even with all of 'you' fully on ground??

Recall sacked doctors now, NLC tells FG


The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, has called for the reinstatement of the resident doctors who were recently sacked by the government.

Omar said in an electronic mail on Monday that the decision of the government should be reversed in view of the current health challenges facing the country.

He said that the Federal Government given the wrong advise to sack the striking doctors.

The NLC President said that rather than sacking the doctors, the Federal Government should employ more health workers and devote the expected attention to the provision of necessary equipment to the health facilities in the country.

He said that the sacking of the doctors was unnecessary in view of the grave challenge posed by the Ebola virus to Nigerians.

He said that it was even more precarious to sack doctors en mass, in the country where available doctors were grossly inadequate with a ratio of one doctor to 5,000 citizens out of the population 170 million people.

He said, “The recent mass dismissal of resident doctors in federal hospitals across the country by the Federal Government is ill-advised, and therefore should be re-considered and reversed given prevailing health challenges.

“What the country needs urgently is recruitment of more health professionals, well equipped public hospitals, and a well-organized health system capable of responding to the health concerns of our growing population and not sacking of any category of health personnel.

“We believe the Federal Government was misadvised and also misled by this action.

“It is clearly unwarranted to sack doctors just as we are collectively faced with the challenge of the Ebola Virus. It is even more dangerous to sack medical personnel in a country of over 170 million people with a ratio of one doctor to over five thousand patients.”

He urged the government to give special attention to the protection of health workers who are more endangered by the Ebola outbreak by providing them with the requisite work tools and motivation.

The labour leader also advised the government to audit the public health sector with a view to determining the state of equipment, personnel and funding in the sector.

“The Federal Government needs to carry out an urgent audit of our public health sector to determine the state of the sector in terms of equipment, personnel and funding.

“While workers, and indeed all Nigerians, are at great risk and require adequate protection, those in the medical sector should particularly be sufficiently equipped and given incentives to guarantee their safety and boost morale. No country can afford, specifically at these trying times, to neglect its health sector, including the personnel that work there,” he added.

source

Joenz: Lolz,I jes pity u Phantom.You are surely not exempted from the general delusional feeling of self-importance that is so rampant among NMA members.Which commotion have you and your colleagues caused?heaven don fall?Residents were sacked n Nigeria is marching foward.Again,it was you that depended on NLC,TUC,NUPENG,PENGASSON even JOHESU to raise their voices n fight your course,you are the same person accusing and demonising TUC that has given you the prodigal son's traetment and come to your rescue.By the way,who proscribed NMA from NLC?

my friend go and tell that to the pregnant women who came to the teaching hospitals today and met NO ONE ON GROUND.

hmm....see facilities! fully equipped. countries that take their citizens health seriously.

look at that lovely bedside ultrasound machine! SMH.

any patient admitted here won't need to move out for anything.
almost everything is bedside.

Judah1986: After all, who doesn't know that
the best treatment for a headache is to cut off the said head, even if the headache is
only pointing to a more sinister problem? Why should they ask for better equipment to
work with? Why do they need CT and MRI
machines to diagnose when we have our ancient
African technology of seeing a person miles away
in the palms of our hands? Why should they ask for grants for researches?
Shouldnt their jumbo pays be enough to fund
such studies? Why havent they found a cure for
this viral haemorrhagic fever? Why should they
fault you for begging the Americans to give us
ZMapp? What are big brothers for? Is it not to clean up their younger ones every time they pee
in their pants? Why shouldn't you blame them for the ebola
outbreak in the country? Isn't manning the
borders supposed to be part of their work? Why should they say they want to be the only
ones to be tagged a sConsultants? Is it not a mere
sobriquet every Tom, Dick, and Harry can choose
to be called by? Havent people started calling me
Professor as far back as my primary school days? Why do they oppose relativity in the health
sector? Arent men born equal? Do they think you
have forgotten that the quest for relativism
caused the biblical fall of man? Why should they
want to head the medical team because they
claim they are better intellectually equipped? Isnt that egotistical? Why should they tell you to extend universal
health coverage to all citizens? Dont they know
that the citizens are wealthy enough to fund their
medical expenses? Why are they even fighting for
the masses? Do they know how many of the
intended recipients of the policy jumped for joy when you called for the heads of their supposed
activists? Why didnt they take you by your word when you
signed the said agreement with them earlier in
the year? Why do they insist on implementation?
Dont they know ASUU went on strike for a
different reason last year, other than non-
implementation of an agreement signed in 2009? Do they think your pacts are worthless? Why should they tell you not to remind them of
their sacred Hippocratic Oath and not go on
strike? Dont they know you also took an oath
when you came into office? Shouldnt they know
you swore to protect the interest of the ordinary
citizen and that is just what you are doing? Why should they clamour for increased pay? Don't
they know that this country isnt financially
buoyant enough to meet their demands like in
the other countries? Who told them our political
office holders still manage to get the equivalent
of (or more than) what their equals in those other countries earn? The answer to the questions is obviously what
you have done. Fire the resident doctors. But dont
stop at that. Fire the consultants, the medical
officers and the house officers too. Order state
executives to sack those in their employ. You can
even fire all medical students. They could have been brainwashed by their seniors. They have
drained enough from the pockets of their parents.
The government is also wasting scarce funds
because they spend ages in medical school,
saying they dont want to be half-baked. Like we
told them we need bread! Besides their seniors are always telling them they dont know anything. Take a nip in the bud before it is too late. Lets go
back to those times when there were no doctors. Tobi Bamigbade
Medicine 600L, OAU http://www.medicalworldnigeria.com/2014/08/yes-your-excellency-sir-sack-them-all-by-tobi-bamigbade/

classic!!

part 2

Aristotle said that,'Injustice is not only treating equals as as unequals,it also involves treating unequals as equals.' Robert Greene went ahead to substantiate this as thus,'Treating everyone equally means ignoring their differences,elevating the less skilful and suppressing those who excel .If you attempt to treat everyone equally and fairly,you will confront the problem that some people do certain things better than others.' Following the line of thoughts of JOHESU members that,'all are equal and should be paid equally,' let us introduce it to our politics where all our leaders from the councillors to the president receive the same basic salaries and allowances. That means that anybody that fails to be enlisted in the Nigerian army,the person will simply find a shortcut in Nigerian paramilitary and then become a chief of defence or chief of army staff since all of them are security operators and the said posts are purely administrative?Another error in reasoning ,you know.

What else does one expect from a country where if one is convicted of killing ONLY one person by mistake,as part of self defence or out of annoyance,the convict will be sentenced to death by hanging etc but when another is convicted of killing THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT WORSHIPPERS(WOMEN AND CHILDREN INCLUSIVE) in the name of terrorism,that convict will be sentenced to life imprisonment where the convict will be nourished permanently with tax payers' money waiting to be pardoned by the next president ? Mr John Yakubu Yusufu,one of the eight civil servants being prosecuted last year for massive embezzlements in the Nigeria Police Pension Fund, understood the principles of this inverse Nigerian law when he pleaded,'I ONLY stole N23 billion naira and the government has already seized my 32 property.' Expectedly,the judge gave him a limp tap on the wrist by asking him to pay ONLY N750,000 for him to return home and sin no more,as a waiver for the two years imprisonment earlier handed down to him.

Surprisingly,Nigerians started crying foul against that judgement,calling for the head of the judge. I maintained then,and still believe till date that the judge should not be blamed since the function of the judge is to give punishment,after convicting a suspect,according to the section of the law the suspect was charged with, by the law enforcement agents. Today,the government has decided to sack the working population of the medical profession believing that the problem has been nipped in the bud. Wole Soyinka can now be justified by his illustration of a fledgling head of state in one of his plays,The play of the Giants, who ordered the CBN governor to print more money to execute his selfish project. By sacking resident doctors,our government's action is worse than that of the head of state mentioned above,this is a time a patient can predict his or her own death while in the tertiary hospital and I think the legal unit of the hospitals need to be revamped immediately because the bereaved relatives will now start up their legal litigations over preventable deaths and medical negligence . Although,we are aware that most of our leaders are representing their pockets, their families and well-wishers,why playing politics again with the health of the patients?If our law does not operate inversely,tell me why JOHESU should be left why resident doctors were sacked?

A GOVERNMENT THAT CANNOT BE TRUSTED
Now,let us critically examine some of the claims of the government against doctors .The government said that they have addressed more than 90% of doctors' demands. My knowledge of mathematics( which I singlehandedly got A1) thought me that 90% of 24 will be 21.6,which is approximately 22. Now,adding the term ' MORE ', that means the government has met up with the 24 demands of doctors since the difference between 24 and 22 is just 2,which is infinitesimal. Let the government show us how they arrived at their own 90% since all these demands were published on the pages of our national newspapers.

It is quite regrettable that doctors are dealing with a government that is vacillating that cannot be trusted. Imagine a scenario where the government will issue a circular to doctors in the morning and in the afternoon the same government will issue a conflicting circular to JOHESU and when doctors protest,another circular will be issued to doctors in the evening and this cycle continues. My friend derisively suggested that,'it is like this federal government carries the circular in their cars etc and when there is any need,they will edit them and issue out.'

Remember that NMA wanted to embark on a nationwide strike early January this year but this same government pleaded that six months be given to them that they were going to address the doctors' demands but what did we see at the end? It is still the same government that came out to challenge NMA for a public debate to be presided over by our mostly uninformed Nigerian public,who are the real victims of the ongoing strike. As the lawyers will always say,'No one will be judge over his own case or a case one has interest in.' That is one of the principles of natural law,Nemo iudex in causa sua,but our honourable minister for health never considered that when he challenged doctors to a 'duel' so that the uninformed(or do I say,misinformed) victims of the strike will preside over the contest. What another error in reasoning? In view of the above,believe you me, this same government will still disappoint the lecturers in our colleges of education and polytechnics who suspended their strike in order to give the new minister for education time to study their demands. These Nigerian masses that the government and their JOHESU close friends have made to believe that Nigerian doctors are cruel,insensitive,wicked,inconsiderate etc will eventually be the final recipients of this power politics,if not now then later.

THE WAY FORWARD
If this government is really serious,which I vehemently doubt, in revolving this impasse in the health sector,the following must be immediately implemented:

(1) JOHESU should be disbanded forthwith since their real name should have been anti-doctors union in the health sector. This is because there is no way a group of workers will gang up against the manager and you expect peace in that organisation. An Igbo adage says,if you want to separate fight,u must stop quarrel .Let each individual professional bodies/associations stand on their own and when they deem it necessary to go on strike,they should go alone while the hospital is allowed to function in their absence. I am cocksure that JOHESU will never allow this for a simple reason. When nurses go on strike,doctors called house officers and medical officers along with patients' relatives will bridge the gap. When Radiographers go on strike alone,doctors called radiologists will make their strike uneventful,when medical laboratory scientists say it is their time to embark on strike,doctors called pathologists(medical microbiologists,haematologists,chemical pathologists,histopathologists) will take over while all the side labs manned by doctors become functional. Even the pharmacists know that their functions in the hospitals are now that of the sale's girls/boys,since dispensing of drugs based on doctors' prescriptions is what anybody that understands some dispensing terms can easily do .

I challenge my readers today to make their enquiries round town to find out that many of the attendants that work in pharmacists-owned pharmacy shops ,selling drugs to the public are SSCE-holders.

The maximum educational qualifications of such attendants there are the certificates held by members of NAPTON and auxiliary nurses .Auxiliary nurses' certificates, to the best of my knowledge, are not backed by any law. Now,coming to government-owned establishments,these pharmacists will sit down dispensing drugs waiting for their monthly salaries,what an economical sabotage and waste of human resources of people that spent at least five years to get their certificates? This is exactly the way it has been among the component members of JOHESU ,for an instance,the medical laboratory scientists will be using easy-to-be-read strips in the laboratories,which only require unskilled labour,to do their tests and at the end they clamour to be 'crowned' consultants at least if not for their self-recognition at least for their many years of 'sitting' down to be doing tests that anybody can buy the strips and do at home. No wonder, I am also appealing to NFF to leave Keshi alone and appoint me as the super eagle coach since I have virtually watched all super eagle matches. What another error in reasoning?

(2) All allied medical areas must be privatised immediately so that favourable competition can come into our health sector and the management of the hospitals should contract firms to supply these allied medical services such that any firm that violates the terms of the contract will be shown the way out,the contract terminated and another firm contracted.

(3) Medical Laboratory scientists and Pharmacists should be jettisoned under the umbrella of privatization. This will not only sanitize the hospitals but will also go a long way in improving the efficiency as well as creating jobs for thousands of unemployed graduates out there who will work with all diligence knowing that the doctors are the team leaders . Microbiologists, Biochemists and laboratory technicians should be immediately captured into the one-year internship programmes because they can as well do what these medical laboratory scientists can do under the supervision of well trained pathologists.

(4) Our hospitals should be properly networked through which patients' information should be swimming. This will decongest our record rooms as well as the medical record JOHESU staff.

(5) For the nurses,they should be mandated,possibly through swearing of affidavits, to hold on to their oath , in which they swore to be at service of the physicians. This will stop the scenarios where nurses refuse to accept instructions from house officers and junior resident doctors in our tertiary hospitals

(6) All public office holders,whether elected or appointed, should be barred from travelling abroad to seek medical attention unless when doctors in our tertiary hospitals advise otherwise based on the clinical state of such an individual. Nelson Mandela was hospitalized and treated in South Africa,he was never flown abroad. As we have been adjudged the biggest economy in Africa,do we still allow our political office holders travel abroad to go and check their blood sugar with our tax payers' money?If they receive all their treatments here,our hospitals will be properly equipped because they know that once there is any mistake,they will find themselves in the morgue leaving behind their public embezzled funds to unknown beneficiaries.

That will help to bring to an end the scenarios where a complicated surgery will be stated with light powered by the hospital's generated but ended up with lights from cellphones ,torchlights etc among other inefficiencies in the health sector. Each tertiary hospitals will have at least three CT(computed tomography) and three MRI(magnetic resonance imaging) machines operating on three shifts model with employment of more health workers.

(7) Pharmacy interns should be doing their one year internship programmes in drug manufacturing firms and medical laboratory science as a course should be proscribed as many of the tests now are automated and are more straightforward, performing most of the tests with strips which anybody can learn in a day.

There are more to be done in the health sector but let us take them one after the other. The members of NMA should not worry about the sack of the resident doctors as it is part of political gimmicks which cannot be feasible even under draconian law. The leadership of NMA should not be deterred by this temporary setback and they should continue with the ongoing strike until the government shows serious commitment to permanently and genuinely address the injustices in the health sector since Aristotle said,'We make war that we may live in peace.'

By Dr Paul John

As I drove my car to the car wash in preparation for a programme I had the next day,I decided to board a commercial bus to buy some materials from the nearest market . While inside the bus,an argument was already ongoing and I had to listen first before making my contributions .They were discussing the recent sacking of resident doctors by our federal government through the ministry of health. It was as if everybody in the bus was against a particular man with tribal marks. The man's argument went this way,'This is exactly what is obtainable in a country where somebody that is professionally trained to handle animals, including but not limited to wild animals and fishes,or better still work with NatGeo world channel where animals are televised ,suddenly whether by divine or manmade permutations became the president of a country inhabited by human beings.'

At this point I was listening with rapt attention. 'If he is wise he should have known that Abacha and other military leaders like the tyrannical General Muhammadu Buhari tried sacking striking workers but they all failed,even last year ,the same federal government tried sacking the striking ASUU lecturers but failed woefully,something that was not possible during the era of military junta,now tell me how it will be possible,the president with his minister for health should go and ask the present governor of Lagos state his experience when he sacked the 774 doctors in Lagos in 2012?,' the man continued almost fuming.

Having realised that my stay in the bus was only temporary, I asked him if I could get his phone number for more talks on that subject matter ,he replied me,'young man I don't give strangers my number.' Having turned down my request and with the stigma attached to such ignominy,I decided to remain as a loner till I got to my
destination,praying to God that I could get to my junction faster than it should be. Luckily,the motor boy announced,'Any market junction here' ,I shouted 'yes' from my forced withdrawn state.

As i alighted from the bus ,I did not know which of my actions to blame-was it not waiting patiently for the car washer to finish his work or was it politely requesting a phone contact from a a man I barely met? Anytime I remember that singular incident I wish I never entered that vehicle in the first place. However,I gave a second thought to the assertions made by the man. I don't think I will buy his ideas because we have had presidents from different disciplines that ruled their respective countries successfully,in fact our constitution stipulates minimum of SSCE certificate for the office of the president. I think I will blame the advisers to the president for taking such a laughable action .One thing we Nigerians don't know is that our president is a human being and according to the psychologists, every human being has maximum amount of stress he/she can bear at each point in time,above which such an individual will break down.

In Obama's first election ,immediately he defeated Hillary Clinton in the party's primaries ,Obama was pressurized to take Hillary Clinton as his vice,Obama refused arguing that his vice must be somebody that would advise him at his wit's end. This was an associate professor of law who envisaged that a time would come and he(Obama) would get to his wit's end(become confused) and at that time the government could only continue if his vice could advise him objectively at that point. Our biblical David cried unto the lord when he learnt that his sagacious (senior special) adviser,Ahitophel,had joined the camp of his own son,Absalom, who drove him out of his palace. David did not bother asking God to restore him to his palace but he prayed unto the lord as thus,'...let the advice of Ahitophel turn to the foolishness of man....' These two scenarios have shown us the indispensable roles of advisers in governance.

I will not blame the president because the disturbing issues of terrorism and Ebola epidemic are enough distraction. Uneasy,they say,lies the head that wears the crown . Regrettably, those that are supposed to advise the president appropriately are treading with caution to ensure that they retained their posts till they voluntarily withdraw to go and contest gubernatorial elections that might have been zoned to their respective senatorial zones,or better still remain politically relevant since
political posts seem to be easy going concern in Nigeria.

WHO IS A RESIDENT DOCTOR?
This is a doctor in a specialised training with a view to becoming an expert called consultant in one area of medicine .It follows that after the doctor must have finished as a house officer,he/she proceeds for the one year NYSC programme,unless exempted due to age or any other reasons. Thereafter,the said doctor will apply for, and must past the 'primaries' professional examination relevant to his/her area of interest. It should be noted that no resident doctor is a PERMANENT staff of the hospital as the programme is structured in such a way that within an average period of 6-8 years the resident doctor must have either passed the two examinations(part 1 and 2) or be shown the way out.

It should be noted that even if the resident doctor passes the two aforementioned professional examinations as at when due,he/she will be given a maximum grace of six months to leave the hospital if there is no space for him/her to be appointed as a consultant in the hospital .Simply put,no resident doctor is a permanent staff of the hospital in Nigeria. In contrast to this ,any member of Joint Health Sector unions(JOHESU) is a permanent staff of the hospital except those doing their one year internship programme just like their doctor counterparts called house officers.

It is the chief resident in each department that prepares the duty roaster and places every other doctor in the department into different units they will work. The function of the chief resident can be likened to the work of a permanent secretary in a ministry,who organises the day to day running of the ministry. If federal government makes good her 'threat' of sacking resident doctors,retaining the house officers and consultant,there will be confusion and chaos in the health sector as the house officers are still naive in the practical aspect of the profession.

Sacking resident doctors can be likened to sacking all workers in the ministry from the permanent secretary downwards leaving only the minister/commissioner(the consultants) and the newly recruited staff (the house officers) to work in the ministry. By this singular action,it is clear that government does not care about whether there will be chaos in the health sector or not since even if they want to check their own blood pressure,they will travel abroad with tax payers' money.

THE INVERSE NATURE OF OUR LAW
Why should resident doctors be sacked in the first place why sparing the actual people(JOHESU) that foment troubles in the health sector?Since the formation of JOHESU (Joint Health Sector Unions) neither the government nor the health sector has known any peace. Has the government asked the aims and objectives of non-doctors in the health sector gathering under one umbrella(JOHESU) ?Why are doctors not part of the JOHESU?Are doctors not part of the health sector again?Why can't the individual members of this amorphous group(JOHESU) remain on their own,embarking on strike on their own?

The questions raised above are not without answers. The law establishing the medical profession empowers the doctors to be ubiquitous in the health sector. A doctor is trained to manage a patient holistically with or without the help of the paramedical professionals. These so-called paramedical professions are the creation of the doctors,introduced into the system when there were few doctors in the country .It can be likened to a scenario where a house wife employs the services of a maid possibly to help in some domestic activities,that does not mean that the house wife cannot do what the maid is employed to do. It is just part of division of labour .Now,the creation of the doctors are now killing the doctors. Can the medical laboratory scientists allow laboratory technicians/assistants to head their units in any organisation? Can the pharmacists allow the pharmacist-assistants/technicians to head any pharmacy section in any firm? Can Bsc nurses allow RN nurses or even auxiliary nurses to head the nursing units in our hospitals?

In 2012 ,we all witnessed the the rivalry that erupted between the HND-holders and Bsc-holders of the Radiographers board of Nigeria. Even recently,the nation witnessed the bickering between the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria(PCN) and The National Association Of Pharmaceutical Technologists and Pharmacy Technicians(NAPTON) over supremacy. The former are university trained,spending at least five years while the latter are trained in either colleges of education or colleges of health technology,spending about two years. All these insurgencies can be summarized as GREED and INSUBORDINATION. It equally explains the high rates of divorce in our families today. The wife assumes the position of the head of the family because she is gainfully employed.

Can a professor of PARAlegal studies head our lowest court(magistrate court) today,no matter the many years of experience in the profession?If no,how then can a PARAmedical professional become the chief medical director of our hospitals where there are qualified medical consultants? The next phrase is 'INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICES'.Shall we now address our president as 'king' because the head of government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia answers 'king' or will I now address our president as 'prime minister' just because the head of government in the United kingdom is called a prime minister,under the so-called international best practices, without first converting to their system of government?what do this people really understand as international best practices?is it what few countries are still experimenting on, which can be jettisoned tomorrow?

Should that be our international best practices?Also,even in most of those few countries where there are non-doctor consultants,these consultants don't work in the hospitals ,they work in what may be described as agencies and departments of the ministry of health. Many of the hospitals in USA where non-doctors are the heads,they are privately owned just like our missionary hospitals in Nigeria where non-doctors are the leaders. Is it not madness if medical doctors go to drugs-manufacturing firms and start struggling with pharmacists over the headship of such establishments,claiming that the post is purely administrative?Is it not absurd if medical officers start fighting to be addressed as matrons,chief medical laboratory scientists,chief pharmacists,chief security officers etc in the hospital,citing international best practices?

pembisco:
guy! U must be stewpid. Did anybody stop u frm becoming a politian?

.........the above post is exactly why our leaders treat us like crap after all nigerians have cotton wool for brains like this poster.

read this from an austrian on nairaland;

[b]I am from Austria, the small country in the middle of europa.

I know that your politicans get much money ! A good doctor in my country gets more than a member from the parliament but he works about 60 hours per week
A member of the parliament in my country gets about 8 000 euro what is about 11 000 USD but he has to pay tax and my country belong to the 20 richest in the world.
We have a very good health system and people from other countries come to us. We have in Vienna a private hospital where people from arab counries come.

I will try that I can show the hospital where they have the rooms if we had a person with ebola, and our airport has a master plan what they have to do when a person get ill on his fly to vienna, but not since ebola is in west africa, we have no direct fly to west africa.
That comes from the ministery of healt and we get all the informations every day and also about the new drug ZMAP, the co founder is a Professor from the University of life science in Vienna Herta Steinkellner.[/b]
-nora544

soulglo: They are not entitled to anything. I think I see a pattern. It is the attitude of entitlement that's fueling this madness

what does this mean?? please expantiate

soulglo: I am not asking you to draw pictures. I am asking you why you are using it as a comparison. Any field could use the same argument. Engineers, architects, teachers, nurses etc. You are using a group who are possibly the highest paid in the country to defend why you need a pay raise. Get real

oga i am trying to make you understand that a system that rewards laziness and unproductivity while punishing merit cannot sustain itself.
i am surprised my point was totally missed.

i put up senators allowances so you know we have our priorities mixed up in this country. someone said the other day that we should not compare ourselves to senators and reps. i ask you,is that right? and it is because the common man in nigeria CANNOT TOUCH THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT. DOCTORS ON THE OTHER HAND ARE PEOPLE THEY SEE EVERYDAY AND CAN RELATE WITH.THEY THINK DOCTORS DO NOT DESERVE TO BE PAID WELL. since doctors are in the mess like everyone else,they have no righy to ask for better welfare abi?? thats what you are saying in effect and that view is deeply worrying.

our value system is upside down.thats my point.

nwandouche: The job of a critic is always less burdensome...yes pray I say!
Moreso I don't consider myself an 'average' Nigerian.I m well informed on d issue at hand;d 24 point demand n co and it suffices to say that those plus more are in place in many other countries...
However this post isn't about that;things are coming to a head.If one walking on the corridors of power here can call FG and doctors and resolve issues... great but rather than sit down and curse docs or even the FG (which is really counterproductive) praying for an amicable and fair settlement remains my first line of management.

i agree with you a 100%! all i am saying is that nigerians have put everything in gods hand meanwhile they can protest or hold their leaders accountable.
we are in this mess as a nation because nobody wants to ask the right questions

Sirgen05: Dr Casy, I see you!!!

bros i cant see your mail o!!!

nora544: I am from Austria, the small country in the middle of europa.

I know that your politicans get much money ! A good doctor in my country gets more than a member from the parliament but he works about 60 hours per week

wow@ the bolded. unfortunately,nigerian citizens would rather be caught dead than allow nigerian doctors earn well.

nora544: that is very much!

What a senator get in your country and what makes a senator, can you explain it because a member of the parliament in my country gets about 8 000 euro what is about 11 000 USD but he has to pay tax and my country belong to the 20 richest in the world.

what country are you from
you can see the animals that are our parliament members in nigeria.

converting what nigerian senators earn into dollars is approximately $200,000/month. that is about obamas annual salary or the annual salary of an OBGYN consultant(attending physician)in the US.
is that not mad

a nigerian senator earns about 1,000,000 naira or $6,000/day

*****okay so i double checked POTUS' annual salary and it was raised in 2001 from 200 thousand dollars to 400 thousand dollars,so our senators earn obamas salary in 2 months of just sitting on their a***s all day long.

Zeus777: hey how come u post stuffs that could cause Laff attack and hearth attack.,., I think u shld b arrested

nwandouche: When two elephants fight the grass suffers.Doctors have private clinics and can leave naija wtout too much ado where they are even better paid with awesome work incentives;the people who stand as FG have d means to leave d country to treat a bout of headache except of course dy hv an emergency case then pity cos there wnt be any docs to treat...However its d masses that bear the brunt so instead of laying blame on FG or blaming docs who only protest for basic entitlements let s all pray for Nigeria.

yeah...it all ends in prayer for the average Nigerian. he doesn't want to take any responsibility.

soulglo: The list you put there is outrageous but what does any of this have to do with what medical doctors earn

sorry,I can't draw pictures for you.if you don't get the point,then I can't help you.

Below is the breakdown of the monthly earnings of a Nigerian senator:NOTE: ALL ARE IN NAIRA
Basic Salary – 2,484 245.50
Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Consistuency allowance (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Furniture Allowance (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Accommodation (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Utilities (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Domestic Staff (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Entertainment (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Personal Assistance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Vehicle Maintainance Allowance (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Severance grautity (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Motor Vehicle Allowance (400% of B.S) – 9 936 982.00 – Every Four YearsSenators’ salary per month – N 2 456 647.7
Total = N 29 479 749 * 109 Senators
Grand Total = N 3 264 329 264.10
[b]The breakdown above does not include: the quaterly unaccountable constituency allowances (35million for each house of rep. member. 48 million for each sen.), their individual convoy of tinted bulletproofs dozens of brandnew Jeeps, some unnamed backyard moneys, some big and fat handy envelops nor does it include ‘never to be known by the public’ moneys not to talk of embezzlement and bribery etc.From the breakdown one will immediately understand the reason why our politics is christianed ‘DO OR DIE AFFAIR’ for the money seems enough for any insane senator, as it seems we have, to want to end his opponent breath at election. No wonder the senate president has turned his public post into a life affair stuff. No wonder senatorial and representative sits have turned hereditarial in nature for after the said 2 terms the sit should be left for relatives or children. No wonder we kept having boxers and wrestlers in N.A instead of them representing the nation in several weight titles and championships. No wonder ‘serving’ the people is a must .
All a doctor is asking for is #100 000 monthly Hazard not hardship allowance & this appears "TOO MUCH" for Jonathan/Onyebuchi.[/b]

list the controversial ones let me take you up. by the way are you a doctor

Below is the breakdown of the monthly earnings of a Nigerian senator:NOTE: ALL ARE IN NAIRA
Basic Salary – 2,484 245.50
Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Consistuency allowance (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Furniture Allowance (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Accommodation (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Utilities (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Domestic Staff (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Entertainment (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Personal Assistance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Vehicle Maintainance Allowance (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Severance grautity (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Motor Vehicle Allowance (400% of B.S) – 9 936 982.00 – Every Four YearsSenators’ salary per month – N 2 456 647.7
Total = N 29 479 749 * 109 Senators
Grand Total = N 3 264 329 264.10
[b]The breakdown above does not include: the quaterly unaccountable constituency allowances (35million for each house of rep. member. 48 million for each sen.), their individual convoy of tinted bulletproofs dozens of brandnew Jeeps, some unnamed backyard moneys, some big and fat handy envelops nor does it include ‘never to be known by the public’ moneys not to talk of embezzlement and bribery etc.From the breakdown one will immediately understand the reason why our politics is christianed ‘DO OR DIE AFFAIR’ for the money seems enough for any insane senator, as it seems we have, to want to end his opponent breath at election. No wonder the senate president has turned his public post into a life affair stuff. No wonder senatorial and representative sits have turned hereditarial in nature for after the said 2 terms the sit should be left for relatives or children. No wonder we kept having boxers and wrestlers in N.A instead of them representing the nation in several weight titles and championships. No wonder ‘serving’ the people is a must .
All a doctor is asking for is #100 000 monthly Hazard not hardship allowance & this appears "TOO MUCH" for Jonathan/Onyebuchi.[/b]

Below is the breakdown of the monthly earnings of a Nigerian senator:NOTE: ALL ARE IN NAIRA
Basic Salary – 2,484 245.50
Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Consistuency allowance (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Furniture Allowance (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Accommodation (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Utilities (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Domestic Staff (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Entertainment (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Personal Assistance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Vehicle Maintainance Allowance (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Severance grautity (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Motor Vehicle Allowance (400% of B.S) – 9 936 982.00 – Every Four YearsSenators’ salary per month – N 2 456 647.7
Total = N 29 479 749 * 109 Senators
Grand Total = N 3 264 329 264.10
[b]The breakdown above does not include: the quaterly unaccountable constituency allowances (35million for each house of rep. member. 48 million for each sen.), their individual convoy of tinted bulletproofs dozens of brandnew Jeeps, some unnamed backyard moneys, some big and fat handy envelops nor does it include ‘never to be known by the public’ moneys not to talk of embezzlement and bribery etc.From the breakdown one will immediately understand the reason why our politics is christianed ‘DO OR DIE AFFAIR’ for the money seems enough for any insane senator, as it seems we have, to want to end his opponent breath at election. No wonder the senate president has turned his public post into a life affair stuff. No wonder senatorial and representative sits have turned hereditarial in nature for after the said 2 terms the sit should be left for relatives or children. No wonder we kept having boxers and wrestlers in N.A instead of them representing the nation in several weight titles and championships. No wonder ‘serving’ the people is a must .
All a doctor is asking for is #100 000 monthly Hazard not hardship allowance & this appears "TOO MUCH" for Jonathan/Onyebuchi.[/b]

Below is the breakdown of the monthly earnings of a Nigerian senator:NOTE: ALL ARE IN NAIRA
Basic Salary – 2,484 245.50
Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Consistuency allowance (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Furniture Allowance (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Accommodation (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Utilities (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Domestic Staff (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Entertainment (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Personal Assistance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Vehicle Maintainance Allowance (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Severance grautity (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Motor Vehicle Allowance (400% of B.S) – 9 936 982.00 – Every Four YearsSenators’ salary per month – N 2 456 647.7
Total = N 29 479 749 * 109 Senators
Grand Total = N 3 264 329 264.10
[b]The breakdown above does not include: the quaterly unaccountable constituency allowances (35million for each house of rep. member. 48 million for each sen.), their individual convoy of tinted bulletproofs dozens of brandnew Jeeps, some unnamed backyard moneys, some big and fat handy envelops nor does it include ‘never to be known by the public’ moneys not to talk of embezzlement and bribery etc.From the breakdown one will immediately understand the reason why our politics is christianed ‘DO OR DIE AFFAIR’ for the money seems enough for any insane senator, as it seems we have, to want to end his opponent breath at election. No wonder the senate president has turned his public post into a life affair stuff. No wonder senatorial and representative sits have turned hereditarial in nature for after the said 2 terms the sit should be left for relatives or children. No wonder we kept having boxers and wrestlers in N.A instead of them representing the nation in several weight titles and championships. No wonder ‘serving’ the people is a must .
All a doctor is asking for is #100 000 monthly Hazard not hardship allowance & this appears "TOO MUCH" for Jonathan/Onyebuchi.[/b]

Below is the breakdown of the monthly earnings of a Nigerian senator:NOTE: ALL ARE IN NAIRA
Basic Salary – 2,484 245.50
Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Consistuency allowance (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Furniture Allowance (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Accommodation (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Utilities (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Domestic Staff (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Entertainment (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Personal Assistance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Vehicle Maintainance Allowance (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Severance grautity (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Motor Vehicle Allowance (400% of B.S) – 9 936 982.00 – Every Four YearsSenators’ salary per month – N 2 456 647.7
Total = N 29 479 749 * 109 Senators
Grand Total = N 3 264 329 264.10
[b]The breakdown above does not include: the quaterly unaccountable constituency allowances (35million for each house of rep. member. 48 million for each sen.), their individual convoy of tinted bulletproofs dozens of brandnew Jeeps, some unnamed backyard moneys, some big and fat handy envelops nor does it include ‘never to be known by the public’ moneys not to talk of embezzlement and bribery etc.From the breakdown one will immediately understand the reason why our politics is christianed ‘DO OR DIE AFFAIR’ for the money seems enough for any insane senator, as it seems we have, to want to end his opponent breath at election. No wonder the senate president has turned his public post into a life affair stuff. No wonder senatorial and representative sits have turned hereditarial in nature for after the said 2 terms the sit should be left for relatives or children. No wonder we kept having boxers and wrestlers in N.A instead of them representing the nation in several weight titles and championships. No wonder ‘serving’ the people is a must .
All a doctor is asking for is #100 000 monthly Hazard not hardship allowance & this appears "TOO MUCH" for Jonathan/Onyebuchi.[/b]

Below is the breakdown of the monthly earnings of a Nigerian senator:NOTE: ALL ARE IN NAIRA
Basic Salary – 2,484 245.50
Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Consistuency allowance (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Furniture Allowance (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) – 1 242 122.70
Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Accommodation (200% of B.S) – 4 968 509.00
Utilities (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Domestic Staff (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Entertainment (30% of B.S) – 828 081.83
Personal Assistance (25% of B.S) – 621 061.37
Vehicle Maintainance Allowance (75% of B.S) – 1 863 184.12
Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) – 248 424.55
Severance grautity (300% of B.S) – 7 452 736.50
Motor Vehicle Allowance (400% of B.S) – 9 936 982.00 – Every Four YearsSenators’ salary per month – N 2 456 647.7
Total = N 29 479 749 * 109 Senators
Grand Total = N 3 264 329 264.10
[b]The breakdown above does not include: the quaterly unaccountable constituency allowances (35million for each house of rep. member. 48 million for each sen.), their individual convoy of tinted bulletproofs dozens of brandnew Jeeps, some unnamed backyard moneys, some big and fat handy envelops nor does it include ‘never to be known by the public’ moneys not to talk of embezzlement and bribery etc.From the breakdown one will immediately understand the reason why our politics is christianed ‘DO OR DIE AFFAIR’ for the money seems enough for any insane senator, as it seems we have, to want to end his opponent breath at election. No wonder the senate president has turned his public post into a life affair stuff. No wonder senatorial and representative sits have turned hereditarial in nature for after the said 2 terms the sit should be left for relatives or children. No wonder we kept having boxers and wrestlers in N.A instead of them representing the nation in several weight titles and championships. No wonder ‘serving’ the people is a must .
All a doctor is asking for is #100 000 monthly Hazard not hardship allowance & this appears "TOO MUCH" for Jonathan/Onyebuchi.[/b]