Nigerian doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) today issued the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum “to tackle the myriad of challenges and anomalies confronting Nigeria’s health system” or risk industrial action.

The ultimatum is contained in a communique issued at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting of the association held August 25 - September 1 AT Giginya Coral Hotel Sokoto. The ultimatum is effective from tomorrow, September 2, 2013, according to the communiqué signed by NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, and Secretary-General, Dr. Akpufuoma L. Pemu.

It said that issues to be addressed by the Nigerian Government within the said three weeks include “the on-going destruction of the fabric of professionalism and hierarchical order in Nigeria’s public hospitals and the health sector,” adding: “The non-negotiable stance of NEC is the enthronement of professionalism and international best practices.”

Other issues addressed in the communiqué include the following:

IPPIS

NEC resolved not to further tolerate the dislocation and unqualified suffering of Doctors and other health workers, who are being owed salaries due to non-payment of wages occasioned by recurrent irregularities in the implementation of the centralized integrated personnel payroll information system (IPPIS).

Since the commencement of the implementation of IPPIS in federal public hospitals it has greatly undermined the welfare of doctors many of whom have had to endure over 3mths of non-payment of salaries due to the irregularities in the implementation of IPPIS.

NEC therefore calls on government to urgently correct the numerous deficiencies within the next 21days or stop the use of IPPIS as a means of payment of the salaries of doctors in public hospitals, pending when the irregularities in the IPPIS are sorted out with a perfect innocuous system put in place.

MEDICAL AND DENTAL COUNCIL OF NIGERIA (MDCN)

NEC noted with great dismay the persisting delay in the inauguration of the Governing Board of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), despite several strident appeals made by the NMA to Government.

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria remains greatly handicapped by the fact that there is currently no judge/Council Chairman to preside over investigated cases brought before it. The Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Act (MDP Act) provides that only the Chairman of Council shall preside over the Tribunal (which has the status of a high court).

Over the last 10 years the Governing Board of the MDCN has cumulatively not been in place for more than four years. The last Council was dissolved in 2010 with no replacement since then. All calls made to government to inaugurate the Council have so far not yielded any result.

The implication of this is that the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Tribunal is non-existent in the country today; a situation akin to a country without Police CID and justice system. How well Nigerian medical practice is regulated today including the fight against quackery and other unwholesome practices, are better imagined than experienced.

NEC therefore restates her fervent call on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR not to delay any further to direct the inauguration of the Governing Board of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to enable it perform its statutory regulatory functions.

The NMA strongly advises the Federal Government to always insulate the MDCN from the usual dissolution of political Boards of Management. MDCN must be granted a protected tenure to allow for sustained progress in the regulation of medical/dental practice, so as to guarantee the quality of medical care and safety of patients.

NEC resolved to explore all legitimate avenues and means to ensure the inauguration of the MDCN Governing Board as doctors in Nigeria can no longer afford to tolerate the embarrassing situation into which the MDCN has been consigned by Government’s action.

TARABA STATE

The NMA is deeply concerned with the anxiety and imbroglio occasioned by the fitness or otherwise of the Governor of Taraba State, His Excellency, Pharm. Danbaba Suntai.

While NMA heartily welcomes back home the Governor of Taraba State, the Association advises the parties involved in the quagmire to sheath their swords and abide with the provisions of the Nigerian constitution.

NMA is very prepared to make available her expert members who are professionals in various fields of medicine to constitute a medical board to resolve the lingering question of the medical fitness of the Governor.

The NMA also uses this opportunity to restate her patriotic call on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to establish the Office of the Surgeon-General of Nigeria who would ordinarily have been saddled with the responsibility of independently assessing the medical fitness of public and political office holders, and thus save the nation the great embarrassment caused by the question of the medical fitness or otherwise of our public and political leaders.

OUT-SOURCING AND PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN NIGERIA’S PUBLIC HOSPITALS

NEC noted the salutary effects of outsourcing of services and Public-Private Partnership in the healthcare system of India and most other countries Nigerians travel to seek medical care.

NEC also noted the embrace of the concept by the Federal Government of Nigeria, as well as some public and private healthcare institutions with evident benefits to consumers of healthcare services.

NEC therefore restates its call on the Federal Government to accelerate the Public-Private Partnership arrangement and outsourcing of some services in Nigeria’s public hospitals, as this will help improve performance, service availability and delivery in Nigeria’s hospitals.

INSECURITY

While NEC appreciated the efforts of the Federal Government to address insecurity in the country, she however observed that a lot still needs to be done to arrest insecurity, kidnapping and other forms of criminality in Nigeria.

NEC received with great shock the gruesome murder (last night) by unknown gunmen of the Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre, Azare, Bauchi State, Dr. Musa Muhammad Dambam. NEC deeply condoles the family of our departed colleague and calls on the Government and the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

•Photo: NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele.