By John Ameh
The House of Representatives on Monday summoned the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, and the
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, over the ongoing strike by
public sector medical doctors in the country.
Also summoned was the Head of Service of the Federation,
Alhaji Bukar Goni, and Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Dr.
Bright Okogu.
The House Committee on Health summoned the officials to
appear before it unfailingly on Thursday after they failed to honour a similar invitation to
a stakeholders’ meeting on the strike on Monday.
The committee, which is chaired by Mr. Ndudi Elumelu, had
said that the presence of the key government officials was important in the
efforts by the House to resolve the crisis.
Elumelu noted that some of the doctors’ demands had
financial implications, which could not be addressed without hearing the
position of government, particularly from Okonjo-Iweala.
“It will be absolutely impossible for us to resolve this matter
without the SGF, the Minister of
Finance, Head of Service and the DG, Budget Office.
“Patients are dying due to lack of medical attention.
“We met before and there was a template reached on how to
implement it, and much has to do with the release of funds to pay the salaries
and other benefits of the doctors,” he added.
According to records before the committee, government is
expected to pay an estimated N6.7billion in accumulated entitlements to the
striking doctors in the interim.
However, the Nigerian Medical Association made it clear to
the committee that the real bone of contention was not money but the decision
of government to throw open the headship of hospitals to those it described as
non-medical doctors.
The NMA couched the contentious dispute over
the management of hospitals under the name of “relativity and skipping.”
Doctors and other health sector workers have consistently
disagreed over who should head hospitals or be appointed as Deputy Chairman,
Medical Advisory Committee and consultants.
Speaking on behalf of the association, the President, Dr.
Kayode Obembe, told the committee that until the issue of relativity and
skipping was addressed, the doctors would not call off the strike.
“Relativity and skipping is not negotiable; it must be
resolved or doctors will not return to work.
“The tradition of medicine is being challenged dangerously
in this country.
“That is the major issue and not money”, he insisted.
According to him, there is a push to a new era where doctors
will no longer take the final decision in the “clinical management of a
patient.”
“The tradition everywhere in the world is that the doctor is
in charge.
“Today, the challenge is that the doctor can no longer lead
the clinical management of the patient,” Obembe stated.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu, and the
Minister of Labour/Productivity, Emeka Wogu, who also attended the session, appealed to the NMA to
suspend the strike for some weeks while negotiations to resolve the matter
continued.
But, Obembe responded that granting the request was beyond
his powers because only the Emergency Delegate Meeting of the association could
call for a strike or call it off.
He explained that the EDM was composed of the 36 state
chapters of the NMA and the Federal Capital Territory.
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