Sunday’s suspension of the 55-day-old strike by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) is a welcome relief to the generality of Nigerians and the federal government, which needed all hands to be on deck, particularly medical expertise, in order to combat the rampaging Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), now a major health concern in Nigeria and other parts of West and East Africa. Announcing the suspension of the strike in Abuja, NMA President, Dr. Lawrence Obembe, said that having considered the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President David Mark and other prominent Nigerians, delegates had to back down by suspending the strike.
“Nigeria is currently faced with health challenges and threats posed by the outbreak of the Ebola virus. Whereas concerted efforts are being made by stakeholders, including medical and dental doctors, despite the strike action to contain this outbreak, delegates resolved to suspend the strike in the interest of urgent national emergencies while negotiations continue”, Obembe said.
NMA embarked on the strike on July 1 to press for the consideration of its 24-point demand, which include: The opposition of the appointment of directors in hospitals and appointment of non-doctors as consultants, skipping of Grade 12 (CONMESS 2), adjustment of the doctors’ salary to maintain the relativity, implementation of the January 3, 2014 circular, immediate adjustment of the doctors’ salary to maintain the relativity, passage of the National Health Bill (NHB), and extend universal health coverage to cover 100 per cent of Nigerians.
Others are appointment of surgeon general of the federation, upward review of clinical duty allowance for honorary consultants and hazard allowance, immediate release of circular on rural posting, teaching and other allowances, immediate withdrawal of the CBN circular authorising the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to approve licensces for the importation of In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVDs), immediate release of circular on retirement age for medical doctors as agreed with the federal government, among others.
We observed, regrettably, that while it lasted, the industrial action paralysed the already comatose health sector, subjecting many patients to trauma and death. Patients on admission were hurriedly discharged without any clinical attention, while out-patients were turned back from government hospitals all over the country. A few of the patients sought refuge in private hospitals, which charged exorbitant fees, while those who could not afford such fees either resigned to fate or availed themselves of the services of traditional healers or ‘miracle centres’.
This traumatic situation, obviously, compelled the federal government to adopt some draconian measures against the striking doctors after all entreaties had failed to persuade the doctors to sheathe their swords. One of such measures was the suspension of Residency Training Programme in federal tertiary institutions and thereby sacking over 16,500 doctors. Expectedly, this action sparked protest by the doctors and created a division in the ranks of the NMA, culminating in the suspension of the strike a few days after the issuance of the suspension circular.
It is instructive that the NMA’s strike was unnecessary in the first place because much of its demand was preemptive rather than real. For instance, the issue of the appointment of a surgeon-general as minister of health has not been abolished neither did the President withhold his assent to a bill passed in that regard. Government has also addressed the issues pertaining to clinical governance such as restricting the title of “consultant” solely to medical doctors and the payment of 30 per cent of their salaries as hazard allowance, up from N5, 000 previously paid. We hope, therefore, that with the new understanding, the penchant for strikes by doctors and other associations will be discouraged to save the nation from monumental human and material losses.
