Federal Government Should Not Blackmail Doctors With Ebola – Medical Guild

The Medical Guild in Nigeria has asked the government not to blackmail doctors in the wake of the Ebola Virus outbreak that has claimed four lives.

The Guild’s comment is coming a day after the Federal Government suspended the Residency Training Programme for Doctors in Nigeria indefinitely for the purpose of appraising the challenges facing the health sector.
On Channels Television’s programme, Sunrise Daily, on Friday, the Vice Chairman of the Guild, Dr Oseni Saliu, said that the suspension was like a case of punishing a child for the father’s sin.
Since July 1, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has embarked on an indefinite strike, after the government failed to address their 24-point demand.
The association is, among other things, demanding the stoppage of the appointment of non-doctors as directors and consultants.
They are also demanding the immediate passage of the National Health Bill, appointment of a Surgeon-General of the Federation, the payment of 100,000 Naira hazard allowance for medical doctors and the skipping of level 12 by medical and dental practitioners.
Dr Oseni pointed out that the medical association was a parental body, whose action apparently led to the suspension of the residency programme.
He was of the opinion that if the government would be sincere about suspending the residency programme, the first thing should have been to put a ban on public medical officers leaving the country for Medical Services abroad, as they deprive the public of getting the best Medical Services.
“For the government to stop residency, it means there is no teaching hospital and at the moment limited numbers of doctors are becoming specialists.
”Government should live up to their responsibility and not blackmail doctors with Ebola,” he said.
Dr Oseni stressed the need for the government to address the issue that had to do with the strike, insisting that an emergency management team was already on ground to tackle the Ebola outbreak.
“We are not not afraid of Ebola. We are trained to do what we do and the government should not blackmail us with Ebola, compelling us to call off the strike.
“What we are saying is that we need the government to do what it has to do on the issues that led to the strike. We want to be sure of what the insurance is like before people will go and risk their lives.
“We are part of the public and we also have families that care. We have had situations where some doctor’s wives insisted that if their husbands get involved in the treatment of Ebola patients, they should not come back home. We must have to reassure our wives that going to treat an Ebola patient is not a death sentence and the only way we can reassure that is that, if we go there, we are safe. we also have mothers that are saying, instead of going to Ebola, you should go and resign,” he said, stressing that doctors are not expected to go and attend to an Ebola patient, with just gloves and mask.
According to him, calling-off the strike is not a solution to Ebola, as the most important thing is creating needed public awareness.
He said the previous strikes had always been on same issues but that the current strike had to do with, integrity of the profession and the survival of public.
Dr Oseni insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan was misled in his decision to suspend the residency programme.
“Do they have to sack Residence Doctors for NMA to suspend the strike? Is it Residence Doctors that called for the strike? He questioned.
CREDITS: CHANNELS TV

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