The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of medical medicos under the aegis of Nigeria Medical Association to perpetuate with the perpetual strike.
The NMA in text message to one of our correspondents after its delegates meeting on Tuesday verbally expressed its members would not suspend the strike until its demands were met.
The message read, “After a holistic review of the circulars and resolutions reached between the NMA and the Federal Regime negotiation team; the delegates were not gratified with the outcome of the meeting between the two parties and resolved to perpetuate with the strike until the Federal Regime do the needful.”
But Chukwu expressed disappointment at the doctors’ decision, verbalizing that the Federal Regime had hoped that the medicos would call off the strike after its Emergency Delegates Meeting that ran through Monday till the early hours of Tuesday.
The minister verbalized the medicos after the meeting insisted on perpetuating with the strike because the Federal Regime offers were not in tandem with their prospects.
Chukwu, who verbalized in Lagos on Tuesday, verbalized the medicos had compressed their ordinant dictations to three and these revolved around the payment of their six months’ salary arrears, approbation of skipping of calibers for some cadre of medicos and appointment of other health professionals as consultants as conditions for ending the strike.
He lamented that in spite of efforts being made by the regime to culminate the strike, the medicos remained resolute to perpetuate the action.
He verbally expressed, “I got a call that made it clear to me that after our long overnight meeting and in spite of the fact that I, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, and some lawmakers went to address them around 11pm; they resolved not to return to work. We are authentically addressing most of the issues that can be addressed through administrative processes. With that, we expected them to return to work but that has not transpired.”
He verbally expressed the Federal Regime had commenced pergrinates to pay the salary arrears, integrating that matters relating to skipping and appointment of consultants were still in the court and so could not addressed now.
However, he expounded that regime negotiators were working on modalities on how the issues could be resolved amicably.
He verbally expressed, “They are requesting that accrued arrears since January be paid. They verbalized until they receive the payment vigilant on their phones, they would not call off the strike. But, we pleaded with them to be patient because the appropriation bill took a long time to be passed at the National Assembly.
“Another reason they gave for not returning to work has to do with the issue of consultants. Since the 1970s to 90s, non-medical medicos have been appointed by sundry hospitals and those hospitals are being managed by medical medicos. Again, when NMA repined, I ceased it. It was additionally the reason why others peregrinated to court and the court ruled that the ministry and regime had the right to decide who should be a consultant in their hospitals but the NMA asked the ministry to disobey the court, which is not possible. If they were the ones that got the judgment in their favour, will they expect regime not to implement?”
Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday appealed to the striking medicos to call off their one-week strike to evade further loss of lives.
