Posted by By AGAPTUS ANAELE on
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have warned that a looming catastrophe may befall the country's health sector if the government fails to act in accordance with the agreement it jointed reached with its members and their parent body, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) over the CONTIS salary structure.
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have warned that a looming catastrophe may befall the country's health sector if the government fails to act in accordance with the agreement it jointed reached with its members and their parent body, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) over the CONTIS salary structure.
Briefing journalists after its Ordinary General Meeting, NARD President, Dr. Ladipo Adepoju said: 'It is three weeks after we entered into agreement with government. We want government to know that time is ticking away. We are using this opportunity to sound a note of warning. If government is doing something, let them tell us."
The doctors had in February called for serial one day warning strike in all tertiary hospitals across the country to protest their alleged marginalization in the CONTIS salary structure. But the intervention of the Nigerian Medical Association, which gave the Federal Government four weeks ultimatum to resolve the disagreement led to the suspension of the strike: 'The Association decries the haphazard manner in which the salary structure was implemented in various centres. It also condemns the shoddy response of hospital management to the recently suspended industrial action embarked upon by Lagos University Teaching Hospital and Jos University Teaching Hospital."
Adepoju who condemned the wages paid doctors noted that poor remuneration was responsible for the brain drain: 'Doctors are overworked and underpaid. In the United Kingdom alone, there are over 20,000 Nigerian doctors practicing," arguing that a uniform solution was urgently needed.
NARD also condemned the alleged employment of Egyptian doctors by the Bauchi State government.
'The trend in the country is to find bizarre solutions to problems. Such is the recent employment of Egyptian doctors by the Bauchi State Government. NARD remains committed to seeking rational solutions not only to the problem of brain drain but also the skew in distribution of medical professionals in the country.
In keeping with this, the Association remains committed to the vision of a Medical Salary Scale applicable at every level of care. It wishes to express cautious optimism with respect to government efforts to reintroduce the Medical Salary Scale (MSS)."
Expressing dissatisfaction over what it called poor health legislation and residency training, Adepoju said: 'The association also wishes to express worries about the status of existing legislation on health. An example is the Mental Health Bill which has been stuck in the National Assembly for several years now.