Medical doctors beneath the umbrella of the Nigerian Medical Affiliation, on Monday, mentioned they are going to pay no consideration to a directive by the Medical Dental Council of Nigeria warning practitioners towards strike actions.
The NMA additionally threatened to withdraw its companies throughout well being establishments within the nation if the Federal Authorities fails to implement the upward overview of the Consolidated Medical Wage Construction by January 31, 2024.
The affiliation’s President, Uche Ojinmah, said this in an unique interview with The PUNCH in response to a directive by the MDCN warning docs towards shutting down healthcare companies throughout strike actions.
The MDCN, the statutory physique for the regulation, management, and self-discipline of medical practitioners and dental surgeons, had in a letter dated January 4, 2024, warned docs to not ship out sufferers when embarking on industrial actions.
The letter titled, “Conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners and Dental Surgeons in Hospitals throughout Strikes” was addressed to the Committee of Chief Medical Administrators and Medical Administrators of Instructing Hospitals, Federal Medical Centres, and Specialised Hospitals and signed by the MDCN Registrar, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi.
In accordance with the letter solely obtained, sufferers on admission should not be discharged merely due to a strike motion.
The MDCN added that accidents and different emergency paediatrics items should stay open and manned by practitioners who had been scheduled on roasters primarily based on the provisions of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act Cap M8 LFN 2004.
The letter learn, “The prevalent observe the place hospital sufferers are precipitously discharged from or denied entry to wards, emergency items, labour rooms, and so forth on account of strike actions shouldn’t be acceptable.
“Whereas conceding that registered practitioners are entitled to demand and procure their rights beneath the labour legal guidelines of Nigeria, the council frowns at conduct that endangers the health-seeking public and will convey disrepute to the medical and dental professions.
“Pursuant to the above, we want to name the eye of the Chief Medical Administrators, Medical Administrators, and heads of healthcare establishments who’re registered practitioners, to the provisions of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act Cap M8 LFN 2004, in sections1 (2c), 15(3a), 16(2) and Guidelines 45 and 50 of the Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria 2008 Version, the import of that are:
“Sufferers on admission shouldn’t be discharged merely on account of strike motion: Accidents and Emergency, Emergency Paediatrics Unit, Labour Ward/Room, Neonatal Care Unit, Intensive Care Unit, and different factors within the hospital for offering emergency and significant care should stay open and manned by practitioners who had been scheduled on roasters to man them.
“Sufferers who had been given appointments earlier than the strike should be attended to.”
However reacting, Ojinmah mentioned, “First, let me make it clear that no one will inform docs how you can defend themselves until they’ve taken over the duty of defending Nigerian docs.
“How will MDCN inform me to not battle for my wage? They didn’t even concern a letter to demand equal pay with senators or judges or what’s being paid in America.
“MDCN is regulating medical observe, are they saying that the docs ought to go hungry? or that a physician ought to come to work with out consuming? The personnel they need on the emergency unit haven’t been paid salaries and also you desire a hungry man to run emergency companies?”
He mentioned docs will do every part to defend themselves.
“Our docs will do every part to defend themselves. MDCN is conscious that there was an increment in our primary salaries since July 2023 and it hasn’t been applied six months down the road with none purpose. And if I determine to go on industrial motion, somebody will present me a doc.
“If the council doesn’t need any disruption, they need to write the present administration to pay what they promised which isn’t even sufficient,” he added.
Efforts to succeed in the President of the Nationwide Affiliation of Resident Medical doctors, Dr. Dele Abdullahi, proved abortive as he didn’t reply to calls, texts and whatsapp chats despatched to his cellphone line.
The PUNCH experiences that the Nigerian Medical Affiliation just lately gave the Federal Authorities until January 31, 2024, to fulfill its calls for of an upward overview of the Consolidated Medical Wage Construction. and arrears cost or danger industrial motion within the well being sector.
The affiliation additionally urged the federal government to implement the newly accepted accruement allowance with arrears from June 2022.
The PUNCH experiences that employees in Nigeria’s civil service and well being sector typically stage protests to drive house salient factors over maltreatment, poor welfare, unpaid salaries, or different packages.
The strike embarked upon by the Nationwide Affiliation of Resident Medical doctors throughout the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari resulted in a lack of 128 working days between 2016 and 2023.