Respite For Sick Patients As Health Minister Says Doctors To Resume Work On Monday

The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, has
given the assurance that doctors will return to work on
Monday, following the signing of Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Medical
Association on Thursday.

This is even as he affirmed that the association went ahead with its
nationwide strike on July 1, despite an earlier MoU
signed on June 25, after a meeting with an inter-
ministerial committee chaired by the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius
Anyim.

"To be sure, almost all the issues in contention were
either issues that had been satisfactorily resolved or
issues that could be treated merely through
administrative mechanism. The signed MoU was to have
apprehended the nationwide strike that was threatened
by the association. However, the Nigerian Medical
Association jettisoned the MoU and proceeded on strike
on July 1, 2014", he explained.

The health minister, who spoke at a press briefing held
at the ministry yesterday, expressed optimism that
despite the NMA jettisoning the earlier agreement, which
would have prevented the ongoing strike in the first
place, the newly signed MoU will be upheld by the
association and that doctors will resume work by
Monday.

He said: "Despite reneging on the MoU, the government
immediately invited the invited the NMA to series of
meetings on July 1, yet this could not dissuade the NMA
from the strike they had embarked on. Another meeting
that was planned for July 2, was aborted when the NMA
officials failed to show up.

"However, the NMA honoured another meeting schedule
for July 3, under the auspices of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation. In attendance were the
Governor of Delta State, the Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Health, the Honourable Minister of Health,
the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity, the
Honourable Minister of State for Health, the Senior
Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, the
Chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages
Commission, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal
Ministry of Health and other relevant senior government
officials.

"At the end of the meeting, which lasted for ten hours,
another MoU was signed. As I speak to you, the
government has met its own side of the MoU and it is
expected that the members of the NMA would from
today begin to respond and attend to all emergency
cases in public hospitals in the spirit of this
understanding.

"It is also expected that the NMA will call off the strike
after its Emergency Delegates Meeting scheduled for
Monday", he said.

The minister's position has not been corroborated by the
National President of the NMA, Dr. Kayode Obembe, as
calls to his phone were left answered neither has he
returned the call as at the time of publishing this report.