- The doctors have threatened to resume their nationwide strike.
Nigerian doctors say they would embark on a nationwide strike from December 14, the end of an ultimatum issued the government, following the federal government’s failure to comply with an agreement reached with their union, the Nigerian Medical Association.
The doctors also said the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, should be held responsible for any crisis that erupts from the health sector from December 14.
The doctors stated their position in a notice titled “Countdown to the December 14th deadline,” and made available to PREMIUM TIMES by the President of the NMA, Osahon Enabulele. The doctors said only the re-constitution and inauguration of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, has been achieved for the over five months that the NMA has been engaging the federal government in talks. They said the government ignored other parts of the agreements reached earlier in the year. The agreements ignored, according to Mr. Enabulele, are: issues bordering on workplace conditions and injustice meted out to doctors in their conditions of service, as well as funding/infrastructural and equipment upgrade of the health sector.
This is not the first time the Nigerian government would be going back on agreements reached with workers unions. Since July this year, all government owned universities have been under lock as a result of the federal government not complying with agreements reached in 2009 with the lecturers’ union, ASUU, on issues such as university funding and staff welfare.
The doctors, like the lecturers, have held series of meetings with government officials including those of the Federal Ministry of Health, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on issues bordering on some health sector challenges, workplace conditions, and the conditions of service of doctors.
On September 2, 2013, the association issued a 21-day ultimatum to the FG to address the issues tabled by NMA. However, based on the understanding reached following the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, the NMA extended her ultimatum by four weeks at her emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on September 22, 2013.
Following the expiration of the additional four weeks ultimatum, the NMA again extended twice the ultimatum on account of the government’s constitution of a Presidential Committee and promise to speedily resolve the issues contained in the requests of the NMA.
Unfortunately, since the report of the Presidential Committee was submitted to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, only the re-constitution and inauguration of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has been achieved while other parts of the agreement were ignored.
The doctors, through their president, have now said it would be difficult to guarantee further extension of the grace period and industrial harmony in the health sector.
“Efforts by the NMA to engage the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health even at this eleventh hour collapsed following the unserious approach and attitude of the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health who seem to be less bordered about the potential crisis which may erupt in Nigeria’s health sector from Saturday, December 14, 2013.
“Therefore the Nigerian Medical Association most distressingly alerts the entire nation about the imminent collapse of health services across the entire country given the apparent levity and lack of concrete commitment so far exhibited by the Government through the Federal Ministry of Health,” Mr. Enabulele stated.
Read the content of Mr. Onabulele’s statement below.
AS COUNTDOWN TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE NMA ULTIMATUM DRAWS NEAR, THE ASSOCIATION SAYS THAT THE MINISTER OF HEALTH SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CRISIS THAT ERUPTS IN THE HEALTH SECTOR
For over five months now, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the umbrella body for all medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria, has recurrently engaged the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on issues bordering on some health sector challenges, workplace conditions and the conditions of service of doctors.
On the 2nd September, 2013 the Nigerian Medical Association issued a 21day ultimatum to the Federal Government of Nigeria to address the issues tabled by NMA. However, based on the understanding reached following the intervention of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu CON, the NMA decided to extend her ultimatum by four weeks at her emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on September 22, 2013.
Following the expiration of the additional four (4) weeks grace granted to the Federal Government, the NMA again magnanimously extended twice the ultimatum on account of the Government’s constitution of a Presidential Committee and promise to speedily resolve the issues contained in the requests of the NMA. Sadly, since the report of the Presidential Committee was submitted to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, only the re-constitution and inauguration of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has been achieved. The attention of the government to other issues bordering on workplace conditions and injustice meted out to doctors in their conditions of service and funding/ infrastructural and equipment upgrade of the health sector have not received any significant attention.
On account of the foregoing, it may be difficult to guarantee further extension of the grace period and consequently, industrial harmony in the health sector, especially as the December 14, 2013 deadline issued to the Federal Government to concretely resolve the demands of the NMA draws closer.
Efforts by the NMA to engage the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health even at this eleventh hour collapsed following the unserious approach and attitude of the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health who seem to be less bordered about the potential crisis which may erupt in Nigeria’s health sector from Saturday, December 14, 2013.
Therefore the Nigerian Medical Association most distressingly alerts the entire nation about the imminent collapse of health services across the entire country given the apparent levity and lack of concrete commitment so far exhibited by the Government through the Federal Ministry of Health.
Dr Osahon Enabulele
NMA President
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