Averting The Looming Nationwide Strike by Medical Doctors

At a time when, the Educational Sector in Nigeria is still grappling with the heavy weight of the industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), there are even more disturbing signals that medical doctors may follow suit, anytime soon, unless the right things were done at the right time by the Federal Government.

The area of disagreement which, The Tide understands, spans 11 years of failed dialogue, is the special salary scale for medical practitioners, and for which the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) was to embark on an indefinite strike, early last month.

However, following the intervention of notable Nigerians and some top officials of the Federal Government, the NMA extended the planned action by 28 days, in hope that government would meet up its obligations: That ultimatum expires this month. No doubt it was to avert the planned action that government has engaged the NMA in a series of hurried dialogue, with appeals to be given two more months, within which, to streamline the procedure for implementation of agreements already reached.

Health Minister, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, after one of such meetings urged the NMA to consider the value of human casualties that a nationwide industrial action by doctors could cost the nation and assured that the Federal Government would fulfil its promise, by or before Sept 30, this year.

Even so, the NMA has vowed to go on with its plans, on grounds that the only message government needs to do the right things is threat of industrial action or outright strike, explaining that nothing meaningful had come out of the 11 years negotiations between the association and government.

NMA President, Dr. Promise Igboeli, last Monday in Abuja said that, once the 28 days elapses, medical doctors in public health institutions will join all other medical workers already on strike.

As it stands, unless government meets demands of the doctors at the time stipulated or the doctors heed government’s calls for more time, the health sector in Nigeria is no doubt headed towards the same crippling pains being suffered by the education sector.

This is indeed very worrisome. We say so because, at a time when, pushed beyond limits by the prevailing economic meltdown, countries of the world are working assiduously to manage optimally, available human and material resources for good of their peoples, it is very disturbing that the Federal Government of Nigeria appears a little less than worried by the effects of a likely strike, of the magnitude now looming.

Without doubt, the Federal Government should know that there is a limit to which any organisation could endure the deprivation of the kind that has stretched 11 years of negotiation without any meaningful headway. How, for instance, can anyone explain the situation whereby a government would treat issues bordering health and education with the kind of levity Nigerians have known over the years.

The other days, it was the Federal Government foot-dragging over signing agreement reached with ASUU, for which university teachers are still on strike with very disastrous consequences. It was only then that the Federal Government quickly increased, by 40 per cent, salaries of men of the Ivory Tower.

Today, the same Federal Government seems not to appreciate the urgency which addressing issues concerning not just the education sector, but another key sector like health requires, apparently waiting for an industrial action like the one being threatened, before doing the right thing.

Disappointing as that may be, The Tide advises the NMA to give the present Federal Government benefit of the doubt, by granting the two months period of grace required to streamline the processes of implementation of agreements already reached.

While appreciating the level of patience demonstrated by the NMA during the long period of negotiations, spanning 11 years, we still plead that the doctors continue to demonstrate the true love for humanity which their practice even emphasises, by accepting the two months period demanded of doctors by government.

What they have been able to endure for 11 years, The Tide believes, cannot totally cripple them in the next two months of grace that the Federal Government seeks.

Perhaps, now also is the right time to tell the Federal Government that its ability to keep the promise made to doctors within the period demanded, will be key to public assessments of their confidence level.

That is why The Tide calls on the Federal Government through the Ministry of Health to do anything humanly possible to avert the looming industrial action because another strike by medical doctors surely makes it one too many.