Confusion over status of doctors’ strike

Despite pleas by various governments’ officials for the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to call off their strike action in the face of the Ebola virus outbreak, the doctors have stuck to their guns, insisting the one month old strike continues.

There were reports on Wednesday that the association would have announced the suspension of the strike action but sources from the NMA dismissed the reports as baseless.

Daily Trust learnt that earlier in the week, members of the NMA were divided over the continued strike.

Another meeting which held on Wednesday night till the wee hours of yesterday degenerated into name calling and near fisticuffs.

While some members wanted the strike to continue citing federal government’s refusal to accede to their 24- points demand, others demanded for the industrial action to be suspended, moving for the impeachment of the president, Dr Kayode Obembe.

Some members alleged that the union had been hijacked by politicians.

But a former executive of the NMA who declined to be named said many of them were unperturbed about the antidoctor sentiments that had spread in the country especially since the Ebola outbreak in Lagos.

He said: “Well, ASUU received all of these but what happened at the end? It is normal for people to feel bad when doctors go on strike. What is important is for the objectives to be set clear. The doctor only gets appreciated when his/her services are required. After that no one cares about the condition of the doctor who society believes is next to God.

He added that Israeli doctors were once on strike for 127 days until the government addressed their grievances.

This was apparent on Sunday when a press briefing scheduled for 3 pm could not hold as journalists were kept waiting till about 4:45 pm when it was cancelled.

The demands of the doctors include discontinuation of recognition of the use of doctor title for non-medical doctors, appointment of a Surgeon - General of the Federation, payment of clinical duty and hazard allowances and withdrawal of the Central Bank of Nigeria circular on medical laboratory equipment.

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has consistently maintained that the federal government has fulfilled its part of the bargain to the doctors’ demands.