Posted by From Juliana Taiwo in Abuja on
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) medical and health workers, who have been on strike for over a month to protest the refusal of the administration to pay them their arrears and allowances have been asked by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) FCT branch to stop work and maintain the status quo of the strike until the matter was resolved.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) medical and health workers, who have been on strike for over a month to protest the refusal of the administration to pay them their arrears and allowances have been asked by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) FCT branch to stop work and maintain the status quo of the strike until the matter was resolved.
Warning that any erring doctor (excluding chairman of hospitals and clinics) would be blacklisted and sanctioned accordingly. Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the NMA FCT Chairman, Dr. Omale Joseph Amedu said the union is demanding a public retraction and apology from the Secretary of Health of FCT for calling "NMA a bunch of mischievous, miscreant and higher detractors within 72 hours or resign her position".
They are also demanding an immediate withdrawal of the sack letter issued to over 3,000 workers by the Acting Director of Administration and Finance to the striking health workers on November 15, 2005.
The union also called on the Minister of FCT, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to as a matter of honour abide by the agreement already entered into with his health workers by his representatives in order to restore peace and open hospitals to patients.
According to Amedu, "we are constrained to ask all doctors in FCT in all public and private health establishment especially Gwagwalada Specialist hospital, National hospital, State House clinics and Federal staff hospitals and clinics to be on alert as they will be called within a very short notice for further measures if need be".
The chairman stressed that as a result of its very high regard for the National Assembly, who have since taken the matter up with the parties to the dispute, NMA will await the out come of their intervention hoping that the matter will be resolved amicably. He said NMA has no direct bearing in the relation between any organization and their workers except where it affects its members' welfare and professional conducts. And its role is to mediate where such happens to bring about reasonable resolution of such disagreement as demonstrated in this case.
He stressed that NMA became involved following a petition by FCT resident doctors, that doctors were being casaulised by the FCT health and humans services as a result of the strike. Doctors were being employed to do the work of nurses, pharmacist, attendants etc.
"I want to say for the records that NMA is not and cannot be used by an individual, group or orgnisation to discredit any sensible, honourable and credible organization that keeps her integrity through honouring signed agreements", he said.
He stressed that FCT Administration actually budgeted for the 22 per cent increment in salary arrears in the 2005 which was approved and appropriated in May 2005.
This, has according to Amedu has been confirmed by the Secretary of Health and released and was in account up to September but now the money was no longer there.