₦airaland Forum

Says who? So if a clinical pharmacist becomes a consultant, he will have to register with medical and dental consultants of Nigeria? what has Dentists and Drs got to do with a pharmacist? I am not sure your source is right since the court has ruled and the Yayale committee are yet to submit their report.

Leopantro: i could be wrong but the agreement was that anyone can be a consultant. however, if you want to utilize the title in a hospital, you must be registered with MDCAN.

Hospital administrators in USA earn very high salary, higher than the Drs. This is one aspect that is driving up the cost of health care in US today. So don't come here and say that Drs earn less as administrators, na big lie. Health workers in US that are interested in administration are getting their MBA, Drs inclusive. I have a friend that is in pharmacy school, but takes classes for her MBA during summer. So when it's time to appoint, the best man will be appointed. Where is it posited that they are trying to change that?

thegeneral84: I read an article once that Doctors in the USA shy away from becoming administrators because they earn significantly less during their administrative tenure than when they were doing clinical work. It was posited that the country is trying to change that and this was yielding results as in 2013 (or thereabout...don't crucify me, can't remember the exact year) medical Doctors made up the highest number enrolling for an MBA at Harvard Business School. you can do a google search on it.

A house divided by itself can never stand. So NARD is now above their master. NMA go soon scatter. Meanwhile, the issues on consultancy and directorship of JOHESU were still referred to the Yayale committee. So don't say that they have been reversed. FG has still not withdrawn the CBN power given to MLSCN on importation of IVD. issue of surgeon general and NHB are said to be legislative issues, which we all know where legislators stand on SG. As for the monetary aspect of their demand, that is their business as it doesn't concern JOHESU

phantom: 29 states voted for continuation of the strike. the other 7 states had outgoing chairmen who could afford to be bribed just because they were leaving office in a few days but thankgod the NMA chairmanship in those states have been swept up by NARD.
for the first time in the history of NMA, radical resident doctors are heading the NMA in many states.
consultants are being pushed to the background.

meanwhile in other news,NARD rising from their NEC in Enugu, have released a communiqué, vowing to continue the strike if NMA suspends its strike.
so even if NMA calls off, NARD will continue. remember both strikes were called a day apart and have been running concurrently ever since.


n/b: it appears the nonremunerative demands have all been met by govt.
the monetary issues seem to be what's still holding the strike.

I think the issue of consultancy and director for other health workers were referred to the Yayale committee which has always been the case, meanwhile, status quo remains. Office of surgeon general and NHB are said to be legislative issues. Monetary part of the demand can be met after CB. So they should stop saying that the issue of consultancy and directorship have been reversed.

sogodihno: i thought dey said some of NMA demand has bn met. And i remember NMA president sayin dt dey will call off d strike if some of d demand has bn met. one of d demand dt i tink has bn met is discontinuation of other health workers as consultants and directors.
so all dz while u guys av not achieve anytin, dz is d best time for u guys to call it off. wat has bn done cant b undone. d issue of consultancy for other health workers cant b reverse. d earlier u guys know d beta for u. and if FG try to b funny others wont just sit back and watch.

incredible!

About two months after calling out its members for a nationwide strike, the Nigerian Medical Association appears to be divided on whether to suspend the action or not.

A press conference that was scheduled to take place on Sunday was put off for undisclosed reasons.

The Secretary-General of the association just came and apologised to journalists, promising that the association would call them soon.

He said, “Please, bear with us. We will call you in 48 hours time.”

But an emergency meeting of the NMA leadership, which kicked off by 3pm, was still ongoing as of the time of this report (6:20 pm).

The NMA had been on strike over some irreconciliable differences with the Federal Government.

The PUNCH was informed that at the meeting attended by some past presidents of the NMA, there were disagreements on whether to shelve the strike or not.

Among those at the meeting were three past Presidents of the association: its immediate-past President and a delegate to the ongoing National Conference, Dr. Osahon Enabulele; another past President of the NMA, Dr. Omede Idris; and Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Prosper Igboele.

Others who were said to be at the meeting include a member, Board of Trustees of the NMA and Emir of Songa, His Royal Highness Haliru Yahaya; the Registrar, National PostGraduate Medical College, Prof. Wole Atoyebi, and a former leader of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

A source said, “The NMA leadership is divided on the strike; while some, led by its current President, Dr. Kayode Obembe, are pushing for the suspension of the action, others said they would not suspend the action when the Federal Government has not listened to them.

“If we suspend the action now, the present government and even subsequent governments won’t take us seriously any time we declare nationwide strike again. That is the major issue, and not any insinuation that somebody has been settled.”

The President of NMA, Obembe, had a few weeks after his election, premised the strike on the failure of the Federal Government to address the doctors’ demands, saying there was no going back.

The NMA had sent 24 demands to the government, including discontinuation of recognition of non-medical doctors as directors and consultants.

The demands also include appointment of a Surgeon – General of the Federation, payment of clinical duty and hazard allowances and withdrawal of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s circular on medical laboratory equipment.

“The NMA is taking this painful route because our silence and gentle approach to these contending issues have been taken for granted. We have to take this action in order to save the health care delivery system from anarchy that is palpably imminent. We hereby appeal to all Nigerians for their understanding and call on government to meet with our demands,” he stated.

Obembe had stated that the failure of the government to address NMA’s demands had left the association with no other option than “to call all its members to down tool in order to press home their demands.”
http://www.punchng.com/news/doctors-disagree-over-strike/
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/doctors-strike-nma-split-over-decision-to-call-off-strike/185275/

lol. we are all guilty of the bolded. The best should head. As for bad belle, I comment my reserve.

ziga: It is funny how you choose to be rational whenever it suites you.

I love how you analyzed the article to show that maybe you can't prove cause and effect from it.

But please show me what studies you have done to show that non-medical CEOs are the solution to Nigeria's health problems.

Please prove it to me after correcting for "extraneous variables"

All this shout about CMD or no CMD is bourne out of bad belle.

Let us work together to improve healthcare in Nigeria.

Let us fulfill our individual responsibilities. Nobody should do more than he has been trained to do. And if you no fit, commot for road!!!

The study is better done using a longitudinal study. The main point is that the research method used is flawed. I wonder why the OP posted the research since it didn't prove anything.

lomaxx: Longitudinal study proves causation - yes, but in a controlled study. Establishing best leadership outcomes between a physician and a non-physician is not a controlled study. What exactly are you controlling for? The long and short of this is that your longitudinal study, in as much as it is aimed to establish causation, is flawed in that respect. The research method employed does not exonerate a flawed premise on which the study is done.

Assuming you were to do a controlled study to establish best hospital leadership outcomes between physicians and non-physicians, what variables would you control?

I'm still learning. I never stop learning.

Lomaxx.

I'm not sure you know what you are talking about. Longitudinal studies will mean following the leadership of the hospitals for a very long time to know if the present state is as a result of the present administration or previous good administrators. Longitudinal study is the best way to prove causation after you must have controlled for several things. Yes, it's very much possible to compare physician and non-physician CEO after controlling for as many extraneous variables as possible if you must use cross-sectional research design. You can't jump into conclusion which the author understood, hence his statement that the findings does not prove that physicians are better than professional CEOs.
I think why every Dom, Dick, and Harry is citing this particular study is because no one has bothered to replicate it.

I am not here to critic the research (The journal wil have to pay me for that), but to point out what the author already pointed out

lomaxx: Even a embryo knows that correlation does not mean causation. Establishing a causation in this type of scenario is going to be almost impossible to difficult. What research design are you going to use to establish a causation between physician/non-physician and best hospital leadership outcomes? It doesn't even make sense to compare the two. The physician and non-physician are two different sets of people - subjecting them to the same experience to arrive at a probable outcome is very flawed. It's just like taking two sets of people - non-alcoholics and alcoholics- and subjecting them to a study to see if alcohol really causes stomach cancer.

That a cross-sectional approach was adopted initially doesn't mean that a longitudinal approach won't be(in the future). A cross sectional study may be disadvantaged in establishing causation but has the single plus of giving a paralleled hint of what may likely be the outcome if a longitudinal approach is adopted. I still think adopting a longitudinal approach to establish best leadership outcomes between physicians and non-physicians is flawed- the best will be a correlation.

Adopting a longitudinal approach will be best if 2 sets of physicians are compared. One with mere clinical experience and the other with clinical and further professional training in management. Say compare 2 CMDs- one with a mere Fellowship and the other with a Fellowship and an MBA/Management training.

Lomaxx.

That some hospitals are headed by Drs does not mean that it is their birth right. it means that the Drs who are in such positions have the extra requirement to lead the hospital coupled with their medical knowledge (MBA, MHA, and not just MBBS). The medical knowledge is just an added advantage. But here, Nigerian physicians do not want to acquire the relevant requirement before ascending such position. What we are saying is that MBBS is not=CEO. The researcher used the words "non-medical CEOs and professional CEOs". Get the right skills, and you can all line up for the post. If we have a medical worker with good managerial skills, experiences and relevant requirement, then he is welcomed to be CEO. And not a JJC in administration. That's my point.

Nigerians gave the physicians enough time to prove themselves, but they failed. Leadership of the hospital has been in the hands of Nigerian Physicians for decades, and look where they led us (188th out of 190) and you are here quoting research carried out in the developed world

Zeus777: longitudinal or cross sectional or whatever . THE POINT IS THAT THE VERY PRESTIGEOUS HOSPITALS IN THE UK AND US ARE STILL VERY MUCH HEADED BY MEDICAL DOCTORS AS CMD/CEO.

.

The findings do not prove that doctors make more effective leaders than professional managers.


correlation does not mean causation. So many limitations. Atleast he admitted the numerous limitations in the study. and I wonder why the study has not been replicated.

This type of study is better carried out using a longitudinal research approach rather than cross-sectional.

Chukwu gozie gi

Abeg, this is different from the special plate number that was requested by Obembe. They are just registering their vehicle

you can give the lecturers the 3 forms from the schools at once. Because they are likely to write the same thing. They must not all be professors. you can have 2 professors and one junior lecturer. But they should be able to know you well in case

godG: O Beautiful People,

Please, those who applied to more than one school for graduate admission, how did you go about getting Letters of Recommendation? If you applied to 3 schools for instance, was it that you disturbed each lecturer on three different occasions? I can't imagine stressing all those old ogas in Ife o.

Also, must the lectures be all Profs.? Meanwhile, my profound gratitude to imperiouxx and bbdd. Sirs, you are lifesavers.

*****
Graviton2, whatever your decision, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Keep walking tall. Nna mehn, it will end in praise. A jara for you: may the almighty keep delivering the scalps of your enemies to your bedroom door!

armadeo: The nurse consultant stuff cannot work here. The term as described in your links indicated a specialist who is called upon to aid in training of nurses in the system, and also as consultants in settings where there is unavailability of primary care physician.

What I can conclude is that they are based in the primary health care facility. Secondary and tertiary are out of it.

PS humor me and educate me on the the role a nurse consultant would play in the tertiary institution. Taking into consideration that most nurses have already trained in these areas.
What value would it add to the general improvement in service delivery.

So clinical nurse consultants even exist? Thought you guys said there is nothing like that? Don't we want international best practice again? or we shout international best practice only when it will favor us?read the links again and then watch the accompanying video in the first link about the critical care nurse consultant and his work. Then tell me if they have intensive care unit in a primary health care facility. The speaker also works at university college hospital london, Is that a primary health care center? Since nurse consultants are called to aid in the training of student nurses, then Where do they train student nurses if not in a teaching hospital? Consultant nurse's work is nursing and not medicine. The earlier you understand that, the better for you. We have critical nurse consultants. burns and plastic NC, pains,wound and stress NC, oncology nurse consultants, and their work is to the patient. Are these areas not core nursing areas? Are you saying that they can never be useful in a specialist hospital or that they work they do makes no sense?

You should be concerned that Nigeria has only 47,000 physicians for a population of 170million, and yet you want to deny them access to safe and quality healthcare all in the name of turf war. You should be advocating for better training of these specialists, in other to provide safe care and not try to deny their existence. NIGER I HAIL THEE

whether full time or part time, she is still a consultant. She must spend atleast 50% of her time in clinicals and 50% in research which is perfect for such position. Nobody spends 100% time in the clinic. After all, we are talking about tertiary institutions here where research should be encouraged. Atleast,you agree that we have clinical nurse consultants. So is the problem now whether they work full time or that they don't exist?

armadeo: No where was it stated that a nurse consultant works full time in the hospital.

allycat: I wondered oh. But you obviously don't like doctors at all and make no bones of the fact. But hey you don't have to like everybody and not everybody has to like you. That's life.

I like my Dr friends ooh. My younger brother is about finishing medical school, and most of my good friends are Drs too. We all disagree to agree. It's nothing personal please. I treat people based on their personality and not their profession. If you are not likable, you are not and your choice of profession will not change that.

Zeus777: A "nurse consultant" is one that assist a firm on legal matters that bothers on health HE/SHE DOES NOT WORK IN AN HOSPITAL . A "consultant pharmacist" is a pharmacist that is employed to work and assist with medications in the old people"s home NOT IN AN HOSPITAL !!!!!!!!

We also have clinical nurse consultants and not just legal nurse consultants. You guys just chose to concentrate on the legal aspect of it.
http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/nursing/careers-in-nursing/nurse-consultants/
http://www.nursing-career-hub.com/Nurse-Consultant.html
http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hcci/consultants.asp
http://work.chron.com/clinical-nurse-consultant-13912.html
A nurse consultant must not be a legal nurse consultant. The first link I have shared is from UK which we copy. Check who a nurse consultant is and what he/she does in NHS and other countries.

I copied the post from a forum. not written by me. forgot to share the link. Have included the link. And what do you mean by i referred to Drs as "those people"? I always state my opinion and not criticize jare.

allycat: When did you become a Medical doctor, in previous posts you were a nurse who " paid the same school fees as those MBBS" graduates. You have constantly crtiscised and attacked doctors on this forum referring to them as those people . When did this metamorphosis occur from NP to Medical doctor.

I feel compelled to write on this subject because of its seriousness and the dearth of objective analyses in this forum. It is an emotive subject for both the NMA and JOHESU, and I can understand why punches fly around, but the parties must rise above petty and emotional considerations if we are to find a way forward.
The NMA has a list of 24 demands but I will limit myself to the most contentious ones. At this stage, it is probably best that I introduce myself. I am medical doctor of Nigerian heritage practising in the UK.
WHO SHOULD HEAD THE HOSPITAL
There is no contention – the medical doctor is the head of the clinical team. He/she leads the ward rounds, clinics, surgical operations, multidisciplinary meetings etc because the ultimate responsibility for patient care rests in his/her hands. The headship of the hospital is a different matter. This is an administrative role and needs not be occupied by a medical doctor. This job is better in the hands of people who have administrative or business management skills. This is the case in countries like the UK, Canada and the US, which heavily influence our health system. Therefore, it is difficult to reason with the NMA why this job should be the exclusive right of medical doctors.
NON-MEDICAL CONSULTANTS
The doctor-patient ratio in Nigeria is abysmally low and very unsafe. In my view, the role of non-medical professionals such as nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists etc needs to expand to cope with the demands on doctors. It is important that this is done in a safe way by providing the appropriate level of training for these individuals. This is the case in countries such as the UK, Canada and the US where consultant nurses, pharmacists etc have existed for a few decades now. I do not see any problem with non-medical consultants as long as these individuals are appropriately trained and can practise competently, safely and within an agreed framework. If this arrangement enhances patient care, then where is the problem with it? Pursuing this demand is tantamount to the NMA obstructing the professional development of JOHESU members, and I don’t think this is helpful to anybody.
HAZARD ALLOWANCE
The types of hazard and the level to which healthcare workers are exposed vary considerably and depend on the type of job they do. Psychiatrists are hardly exposed to body fluids and their risks for contracting diseases like HIV and hepatitis are much lesser than a theatre scrub nurse. The risk of physical assault by a patient is higher for a psychiatrist than for a surgeon. And because psychiatry nurses spend more time with the patients, their risk of assault is arguably higher than the consultant psychiatrists. The people who work in radiology departments e.g. radiologists, radiographers, nurses, porters and so on have greater exposure to radioactive materials than everyone else in the hospital.
The health hazard allowance is a pittance – it needs to increase. However, I think it is important to get an independent risk assessor for impartial advice.
MISCELLANEOUS
I have read far too many emotional arguments on the subject of this NMA strike and very little of an objective discourse. It is important that I draw your attention to a few of these.
What has become obvious is the lack of understanding of the concept of teamwork. There is a pervasive notion among doctors that the other healthcare workers are there to serve them. JOHESU members think that doctors have become too conceited for their own good and are determined to put them in their “places”. The most important person in the hospital is the patient – not the doctor, nurse, pharmacist or laboratory scientist. Every team member is important and must be respected, including the people who do the least clinical jobs like cleaning; I don’t imagine that any hospital will remain open for long if its cleaners went on strike and dirt was allowed to accumulate to the point where it constitutes a health risk.
I have heard so many anecdotal accounts of nurses not joining doctors on ward rounds or pharmacists altering prescriptions without first discussing these with the prescribing doctors or laboratory scientist slapping doctors; and these accounts are being given as reasons why doctors must continue to head hospitals. These are disciplinary matters, which should be managed according to existing procedures. These excuses are emotional and should not be used to block the professional development of others.
Another recurrent theme in these debates is the abuse of junior doctors by both medical and non-medical staff, which appears to be endemic. There is a consistent account of junior doctors being asked to do other people’s jobs such as collecting blood from blood banks, taking samples to laboratories etc. In extreme cases, these doctors are asked to undertake non-clinical tasks by more senior doctors. This is simply unacceptable! I think it is fair to place the blame for this at the hands of consultants who are responsible to the junior doctors. But this in itself is not a good argument for blocking JOHESU members from becoming consultants in their specialties or for stopping them from heading hospitals if they have the right qualifications.
I am concerned that the NMA is losing public sympathy. Increasingly, I hear people describe doctors as selfish and heartless. This is very sad and rather unfortunate. They say doctors do not have any motivation to end the strike because patients are forced to pay exorbitant fees to them in their private hospitals. Those who cannot afford these fees are left to suffer or die. If the NMA has made any efforts to carry the public along, these do not appear to have been effective (yet).
CONCLUSION
To conclude, the current strategy (i.e., recurrent strikes) is not working. Over the last decade or two, the NMA and JOHESU have taken turns to go on strikes. Perhaps, it is time to sit both parties and resolve these contentious issues once and for all. It’s pointless for the government to enter into agreements with one party knowing fully well that the other party will ask for a near-reversal of those agreements.
It has become imperative to incorporate Ethics, Teamwork and Communications into undergraduate curricula.
Disciplinary procedures are there for a reason. They must be followed when necessary.
Although I practise abroad, I should point out that this strike affects me too. My family and friends all live in Nigeria. And who says I am not planning to come home to practise?
Lastly, let us be mindful of our own mortality – most of us will be ill someday. When this happens the only thing that will matter to us is to be looked after by caring and competent health-workers regardless of their individual specialisation. We can create that environment if we forget our individual egos and work as a team.
https://www./237385566365339/permalink/562731510497408/

Nigeria Ambassador to Liberia, Chigozie Obi-Nnadozie and 58 others have contact with, Patrick Sawyer, the victim of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, who died in Lagos last Thursday, says the Lagos State Government.

At a news conference on Monday 27 July at the Lagos State Government Secretariat in Alausa, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, Lagos Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris disclosed that 59 people had contact with the late Sawyer, which include the Nigerian Ambassador to Laberia.
“So far, a total of 59 contacts have been registered consisting 44 hospital contacts (38 healthcare workers and six laboratory staff) and 15
Airport contacts, comprising 3 ECOWAS staff-driver, Liaison, and Protocol officer, Nigerian Ambassador to Monrovia, two nursing staff and five Airport passenger handlers.

“As of the time of this report, 20 contacts had been physically screened of which 50% are type 1 contact and 50% had had type 2 contact. Airline manifest has not been provided by the airline at the time of this report and therefore the precise number of passenger contacts is yet to be ascertained, especially as two flights were involved (Monrovia-Lome and Lome-Lagos),” he disclosed.

On case management, infection prevention and control, Idris said an isolation ward had been designated by the Lagos State Ministry of Health at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba for case management, adding that the designation of three other health facilities was underway.

“A total of 100 Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, were procured by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC and the Federal Ministry of Health, FMOH have been distributed to the private hospital and the State Ministry of Health. WHO also donated 250 PPEs to the NCDC/FMOH.

“Adhering strictly to WHO guidelines, the body of the deceased patient was decontaminated using 10% sodium hypochlorite and cremated, with the permission of the government of Liberia. A cremation urn has been prepared for dispatch to the family. The vehicle that conveyed the remains was also fully decontaminated,” he stated.

According to Idris, government could categorically state that as of today only one case of imported Ebola and one death had been recorded in Lagos, saying that no Nigerian had been infected, but that all contacts were being actively followed.

“We call on all Nigerians to be calm and not panic and do hereby assure them that both the State and Federal Governments are up in arms to ensure that the virus did not escape and that no Nigeria is infected with this virus,” he assured.

He said preliminary laboratory investigation conducted by the NCDC AI virology laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the World-Bank Funded African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) Redeemers’ University, detected viral DNA and that in both blood and urine samples obtained from the patient were positive for the Pan Filo virus analysis and Ebola Zaire MGB virus strain- specific analysis, adding that samples were also collected for further confirmation at the WHO Collaborating laboratory for Ebola in Dakar.

On the 40-year old Liberian vidtim, Idris said he arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos from Monrovia via Lome on Asky Airline Flight No KP50, on his way to Calabar for the 8th ECOWAS Retreat of Heads of Offices meeting, as a senior ECOWAS official in Liberia.
He stated that his plane was reported to have had a brief stop in Accra and Lome, and the aircraft was changed at Lome, explaining that he was also reported to have fallen ill while on board and remained very ill on arrival at the airport in Lagos as he was then assisted by various airport and ECOWAS protocol staff to a private hospital named First Consultant Medical Centre, Obalende, in Lagos.

“An initial diagnosis of suspected Viral Haemorrhagic fever was made. He was admitted and investigations were carried and supportive treatment was commenced. The private hospital immediately notified the State Ministry of Health who also notified the Federal Ministry of Health. The patient however died at about 6.50am on the 25th July 2014,” he explained.
Idris disclosed that the Joint Federal and State Team on the basis of all experiences gathered from the response to this outbreak recommended to mobilize funding for response activities, logistics and supplies; train and orientate health staff on the Ebola outbreak response Standards Operating Procedures and supply laboratory diagnostic supplies or activate the mobile VHF laboratory.

Other recommendations, he said, were to provide adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), organize psychosocial support and provide incentives to health personnel involved in Ebola outbreak response, design key messages in the local language and intensify public enlightenment in the local languages and involve the community in response activities.

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2014/07/28/nigeria-ambassador-58-others-had-contact-with-ebola-victim/

Zeus777: Your source is a joke...THERE ARE NO DIVISION IN NMA

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/07/strike-division-among-doctors-threatens-nma/

The source may be a joke sha, but it is just a report, it mustn't be true

Abuja — The strike embarked upon by the dental and medical practitioners under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has successfully placed a sharp division among doctors in the country.

The division became evident and more pronounced at the delegate meeting of the NMA held on Saturday in Abuja, with some doctors threatening to break from the NMA and form their own separate body.

The meeting which was scheduled to start by 8 am and end by 10am could not start until 9am. It however lasted for over 12 hours.

Anxious journalists spent the whole day waiting for the outcome of the meeting. They were however disappointed when late in the evening, it was learnt that the NMA could not resolve its internal issues and hence the delegates voted that the strike should continue.

A reliable source at the meeting, who confided in Daily Independent in Abuja, said the meeting did not agree to call off the strike, because the NMA officials refused to table to the entire delegates the 24-points demands it gave the Federal Government for assessment at the meeting.

Instead, the source said the NMA officials only tabled three points to the delegates for discussion resulting in a heated argument and sharp division among the doctors. This also led other delegate to accuse the NMA officials for having ulterior motives for embarking on the strike.

The source who pleaded anonymity said: "The meeting could not arrive at a tangible conclusion on the strike because the delegates demanded that the 24-point demand be placed on the table for assessment (to decide whether or not to) call-off the strike, but the officials only presented three points.

"This did not go down well to the delegates. Most of the doctors are eager to call off the strike.

"The meeting was aimed at assessing the impact of the strike and also looking at the effort of the government in meeting the 24-points demands. We wanted to see if the government has really tried in meeting some of the demands, then we call off the strike and continue with negotiation.

"Most doctors are worried that innocent people are suffering while others are dying. Again, the issue of Ebola has come up. Therefore most of the doctors are eager to go back to work so as to save people from dying unnecessarily.

"There is division among the doctors. Majority of the doctors said if the officials cannot bring to the table the 24-points demand for discussion, then there is no way the strike could be suspended."

On the way forward, the source said: "Until when the delegates agree on the status of the 24-points demands given to the federal government before they can vote for the strike to be called off."
http://allafrica.com/stories/201407280055.html
http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/07/strike-division-among-doctors-threatens-nma/

it has no cure. But there is chance of survival. mortality rate used to be 90 percent, but has dropped to about 60 percent.

IjogzK: I tot dey said that it had no cure

A nurse at the Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital in Voinjama is cautioning health practitioners across Lofa County to take precautionary measures when treating suspected Ebola patients.

Miss Korto Suakollie, who survived the Ebola disease after spending three weeks at the Isolation Center in Foya, said Ebola is real and therefore health practitioners and the general public should take preventive measures outlined by the Health Ministry to combat it.

According to the Liberia News Agency (LINA), Miss Suakollie said it was true that people were dying from Ebola, and admonished Lofians and other residents not to doubt the existence of the disease.

Miss Suakollie spoke Sunday, July 13 in Voinjama city upon her arrival from the Isolation Center in Foya, Lofa County.

Meanwhile, the Nursing Director at the Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital has expressed satisfaction over the survival of the nurse at the hospital from the deadly Ebola Virus.

Miss Genevieve Helter said the survival of Miss Suakollie has brought smiles on the faces of nurses and other staff of the hospital.

However, Miss Helter expressed regrets for the death of two health workers at the hospital from the deadly Ebola virus.

She then expressed condolences to the bereaved families and the hospital over the death of their loved ones and colleagues.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201407170777.html

TODAY makes it 26 days when doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) abandoned their patients in hospitals nationwide to protest against the Federal Government’s agreement with other allied health professionals who are under the umbrella of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU). Medical consultants who were supposed to join in the strike, were restricted by a legal case they filed through their umbrella body, Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) at the National Industrial Court (NIC).The case has since been adjourned to October because judges are on recess. Even NMA itself has been dragged to court by JOHESU.

But while everyone is awaiting the outcome of the legal cases, it seems the Lagos State government has found a soothing balm to the challenge of incessant strikes in the healthcare sector. Today, the tension that usually heralds strikes in the healthcare sector in the state has been significantly reduced. When The Guardian visited some private hospitals in the state, it was discovered that those hospitals were not crowded by patients as it used to be during strikes by medical professionals. The situation at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) was as if there was ongoing strike action in the medical profession. Staff at both the accident and medical emergencies of the hospital were working.

A source who spoke anonymously at LASUTH said locum staff (doctors hired on contract) by the Lagos State government have made the difference. “Medical consultants along with locum doctors and other healthcare professionals are working. We have been admitting patients. I think the locum staffing phenomenon introduced by the Lagos State government sometime ago has made the difference,” the source said.

Locum staffing was alien to the medical profession in Nigeria until 2012 when medical doctors and the Lagos State government locked horns over the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) signed in 2009 between Federal Government and medical doctors. Medical doctors under the umbrella of the Medical Guild went on strike. Irked by the action, the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola sacked about 788 striking medical doctors. But there was a big void to fill. To fill that it, the state government recruited locum medical officers, but not without signing a contract with the contract medical doctors.

Details of the terms of contract revealed that the locums are not employees of the state government but contract staff that can be fired at will. The terms of operation also revealed that they have no right to unionism or collective bargaining, and they cannot embark on strikes or any industrial action to seek redress. The only option available to them when they have grievances is mediation. The terms of engagement also reveal that since there is no guaranteed income for them, the locum staff will be paid between N5, 000 to N7, 000 for every four hours worked. The crisis was later resolved. But unlike what many observers had thought, the locum staff remained, even while the employed medical doctors returned to work.

According to the Wikipedia, a locum is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another. Locum is a global practice. Wikipedia explains: “In the UK, the NHS (National Health Service) on average has 3,500 locum doctors working in hospitals on any given day, with another 15,500 locum general practitioners. Many of these locum hospital doctors are supplied by private agencies through a national framework agreement that the NHS holds with 51 private agencies.”

Until the ongoing strike, many people had forgotten that locum has become a part of Lagos State medical practice. Affirming how the locum staff practice has become a soothing pill to the strike headache in Lagos, a consultant gynaecologist with LASUTH, Dr. Paul Adekoya (not his real name) said: “Lagos State government has tied our hands with locum staff practice.” He added that the contract type of employment has been effective in reducing the effects of the ongoing nationwide strike. The state government has since expanded the scenario to other healthcare professionals, including nurses, radiographers among others.

It was learnt that the Lagos State government decided to retain the system to curtail the negative effects of strikes in the nation’s healthcare system. Some other public hospitals not owned by the Lagos State government, it was also gathered, have started hiring locum staff. At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), it was discovered that locum staffing has been adopted in the recruitment of gatemen, cleaners and non-medical professionals.

However, as good as the practice may seem in stabilizing the healthcare system, there are fears in some quarters that it may lead to unemployment in the medical sector if continued. “Locum staffing is good for the patient, but bad for the person engaged as locum staff. Government may, as a result of the practice, deliberately refuse to give jobs to qualified medical person,” Mr. Alex Akanji, a pharmacist with the Lagos State government, said.

While many people may attribute the relative stability in government hospitals to the locum staffing, a medical sociologist with Crawford University , Dr. John Ayodele, thinks otherwise. Citing a research that was conducted in Canada, he averred that the absence of patients in private hospitals may be because Lagos residents have learnt how to live in a healthy way.

“A research that was done in Canada some years ago showed that when medical doctors go on strike, there was a decrease in medical problems because people were proactive; they were taking action that would positively affect their health so that they would not see any need to go hospital,” Ayodele said.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/saturday-magazine-sp-39442427/172412-doctors-strike-and-the-lagos-locum-alternative

Kcinho: And who are these public health specialists?

you don't know who public health specialists are in this 21st century?

Drs are fighting for their hazard allowance, but be rest assured that once they get it, they will try to prevent others from getting theirs. That is the major problem. I am personally not against the hazard allowance, but I am against a group dictating what another group should get. The Drs will tell us that they deserve hazard allowance more than others since their life is more precious. After all, they went to medical school.

Are you saying that other health workers can't know as much as Drs in their respective fields or in the Drs field? You do not compare apple to grapes.

A person with good self esteem will continue to feel good about himself, and A person with inferiority complex/low self esteem will still have it, your choice of profession will never change that. So saying that you studied medicine, nursing, pharmacy or linguistics will change your self esteem is hilarious

benghaziii: smh...residency exams span from 50k to 150k.wif project work worth over thousands in 4-5 yrs...tell me if oda health workers go thru this kinda training..am nt against any oda division of health workers frm advancing in knowledge.. why are dey all hell bent on d consultant title...a form of inferiority complex
a pharmacist can go abroad to study more fr 18months even after he returns it doesn't make him a doctor rite?docs are fighting fr their
hazard allowance...dey aint against odas...johesu excluded docs...so dey should fight fr theirs..
6yrs spent in medical school is just d beginning.. and let me tell u..number of years is nt only d factor bt wat each faculty studied.. nurses..med rehab n docs will part after 200l
hence[b] they can never know as much as doctors[/b]...trust me
the gap btw med doc n oda health workers is so wide ..my dear...
all skills oda paramedics claim today were taught by docs...
a lion does look up cos he is d head...he looks down

there is nothing much Drs can do about ebola virus since it has no cure. There is no treatment for it yet, so no need of accusing the Dr of wickedness. The most important thing is observation and support of the patients by the nurses and to prevent the spread of the disease. the virologists who are scientists will do the test to confirm the diagnosis. The most important people here are the public health specialists. So the Drs can still continue with their demand. 100,000 hazard allowance should be approved for the health workers that truly deserve it.

thepathologist: obembe is right.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_health_professions

He also said " “Occasionally, the non-medical professionals are referred to as paramedics or allied medical workers or allied health professionals. That’s basically the structure; that’s how the hospital operates."

But according to online sources on paramedics "The paramedic is a healthcare professional who works in emergency medical situations. A paramedic may be more formally defined as a medical professional who provides medical care to sustain life in the pre-hospital environment, usually in an emergency, at the point of illness or injury" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramedic
So how come pharmacists, nurses, lab scientists, physiotherapists are paramedics?
Or are Nigerian Drs having problems understanding the English language? According to your link, it says "Allied health professions are health care professions distinct from nursing, medicine, and pharmacy", so how come nursing and pharmacy are classified as allied health professionals by Nigerian Drs?

Again obembe said, "“The structure of the health sector can simply be illustrated as having doctors and non-doctors; or you can say medical and non-medical workers. You can also refer to the non-medical personnel as allied health workers."

We can as well categorize health sector workers as Nurses and non-nurses, or Pharmacists and non-pharmacists, or Drs and non-Drs etc

In spite of the imminent threat of the Ebola Virus Disease in Lagos, striking medical doctors under the auspices of Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association, have said they will not suspend the ongoing strike. The Chairman of the Association, Dr Tope Ojo, said the ongoing strike was not called because of Ebola and cannot be called off because of the threat of the viral infection in the state.

He said, “We are not on strike because of Ebola. It was never part of our demands. It wasn’t our fault.” However, he said the doctors would continue to partner with the State government to monitor the trend of the disease to check its spread. Ojo, who spoke at a press briefing organised by the newly elected officials of NMA in the state blamed the on-going crisis in the health sector on the Federal Government’s mismanagement of the sector.

“Why should a government be willing to concede the headship of the medical institutions to the hands of allied health workers? Will the same government not concede to a hostess the right to fly a plane or Court bailiff the post of a judge or the head of a university maintenance unit to be the vice chancellor because of the so-called opportunistic explanation of a team work?”

Speaking on the contentious issue of granting the prayers of other health workers to become consultants, Ojo said that decision of the government if allowed will only create unending anarchy. “The title ‘Consultant’ in medical practice is preserved exclusively for a doctor that has gone through a minimum of six years excruciating full time, postgraduate academic training.

He added that a situation where doctors are paid N5000.00 monthly allowance for hazard is not only laughable but unbelievable. Ojo said, “A doctor’s life can be lost in an instance when exposed to fatal illnesses such as Ebola, Lassa fever or he may be subjected to a life-long suffering from HIV or Hepatitis B infection.”

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/07/wont-call-strike-ebola-virus-threat-lagos-nma/