24 Demands Of Striking Doctors
Nigeria medical doctors under the umbrella of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) began a nationwide strike on Monday because the government has failed to meet their demands as follows:
1. The post of Deputy Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC) has been circularised and operational. Rather than abolish it, the NMA hereby demands that four (4) DCMACs for teaching hospitals and three (3) for the Federal Medical Centres be appointed forthwith to assist the CMACs whose statutory responsibilities are too heavy for any single individual to handle. Directors in other government agencies are supported by several Deputy Directors, why not the CMAC who is also a Director? Such a DCMAC must have same qualifications as the CMAC.
2. The NMA is opposed to the appointment of Directors in the Hospitals. This position distorts the chain of command in the hospital, induces anarchy and exposes the patient to conflicting treatment and management directives with attendant negative consequences.
3. The NMA demands that grade level 12 (CONMESS 2) in the health sector MUST be SKIPPED for medical doctors. Consequently no medical/dental practitioners should be on that grade level anymore.
4. The title “CONSULTANT” in a hospital setting describes the relationship between the Specialist Medical Doctor and his patient. It will be a source of confusion if the title is applied to any other health worker who statutorily does not own patient. NMA, therefore, declares with unmitigated emphasis that if “non-doctor consultants” are appointed, it will lead to chaos and anarchy in the health sector. This should not happen.
5. Relativity in health sector is sacrosanct. The NMA hereby demands for immediate implementation of the January 3rd, 2014 circular. The NMA also demands the immediate payment of the arrears of the corrected relativity for 22 years during which her members were short changed.
Much as we are not against salary increase for any category of workers, either in health or elsewhere, the NMA demands for immediate adjustment of the doctors’ salary to maintain the relativity as agreed and documented once CONHESS is adjusted.
6. That Government should expedite the passage of the National Health Bill (NHB), and extend Universal Health Coverage to cover 100% of Nigerians and not 30% as currently prescribed by National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
7. Surgeon General of the Federation MUST be appointed with immediate effect.
8. The entry point of the House Officer should be corrected to CONMESS 1 step 4 as originally contained in MSS/MSSS while the Registrar/Medical Officer is moved to CONMESS 3 step 3.
9. Clinical duty allowance for Honorary Consultants should be increased by 90% of CONMESS
10. Adjust the specialist allowance as contained in the 2009 collective bargaining agreement. Additionally, ALL doctors on CONMESS 3 and above MUST be paid specialist allowance or its equivalent that is not less than 50% higher than what is paid to other health workers.
11. Hazard allowance MUST be at least N100, 000 per month for Medical Doctors.
12. Immediate release of the circular on rural posting, teaching and other allowances which MUST include house officers.
13. Immediate withdrawal of the CBN circular authorizing the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to approve licenses for the importation of In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVDs).
14. Immediate Release of Circular on retirement age for Medical Doctors as agreed with the Federal Government (FG)
15. The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health should formalise and implement the report of the interagency committee on residency training as well as release the uniform template on appointment of Resident Doctors in line with earlier agreements. Moreover, a concrete Funding framework for residency training must be established. The Overseas clinical attachment must be fully restored and properly funded in the interest of the nation.
16. That in the interest of harmony in Federal Medical Centre, Owerri the government should pay the salaries of our members in the centre as agreed on 21st October, 2013.
17. Immediate concrete steps must be put in place for the reintegration of our members back into the IPPIS platform.
18. All attempts to coerce house officers not to join NARD must stop.
19. The orchestrated intimidation, harassment and physical assault of our members in departments of Pathology (Laboratory Medicine) by Laboratory Scientists which is being tolerated by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) must stop.
20. The Endless circle of incomplete salary payment to our members in many hospitals in the name of shortfalls in personnel cost must stop.
21. Universal applicability of all establishment circulars on the remuneration and conditions of service for doctors at all levels of Government must be guaranteed.
22. Government should as a matter of urgency set up a health trust fund that will enhance the upgrading of all hospitals in Nigeria.
23. The position of Chief Medical Director/Medical Director must continue to be occupied by a Medical Doctor as contained in the Act establishing the tertiary Hospitals. This position remains sacrosanct and untouchable.
24. The NMA henceforth shall not accept the continued violation of any of the terms of the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement. This is exemplified by the payment of Medical Physicists and Optometrists with OD (who are on CONHESS) call duty allowance using the CONMESS Circular. Similarly, the phrase “Ministries, Departments and Agencies” (MDA) in the said agreement should replace “Federal Ministry of Health and other Federal Health Institutions” as contained in the 2009 CONMESS Circular. [myad]
The Senate has confirmed the former governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau as minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated Dame Beatrice Ekwueme, wife of Dr. Alex Ekwueme and the entire Ekwueme Royal family of Oko Anambra State, as she turns 80 today.
Dangote Group has gone deep in the Nigeria markets with its new 52.5R grade of cement used for bridges, 42.5R for casting of columns, beams, slabs and making blocks.
Nigeria information minister, Labaran Maku has turned the heat on the media, saying that their frequent reportage of the activities of Boko Haram insurgents has been the main source of their survival the strength.
The United States of America has cautioned its citizens that are planning to travel to Nigeria, against the background of the increased bomb explosions by members of Boko Haram.
Are All Religions The Same? By Nathan Uzorman
The Bishop of Hereford was once being patronised by a great lord who talked very proudly. “I never go to church,” boasted the lord.
“Perhaps you have noticed that, Bishop?”
“Yes, I have noticed it,” answered the Bishop gravely.
“Well, the reason I don’t go is that there are so many hypocrites there.”
“Oh, don’t let that keep you away,” said the Bishop smiling.
“There is always room for one more, you know.”
This is the true position of life. Many people have stopped going to church because of many abominable things going on in various churches. This is core religiosity and not spirituality.
The spirituality of the ancient is today seen as a taboo and is replaced by “me I no go suffer, I no go beg for bread, God of miracle na my papa“. What an error!
The ancient voiced the spirit of unity and agreement; that is why we may accuse them of (plagiarism) copying from one another. They have been the founders of divine reality. If man can forsake imitations and investigate the reality underlying the revealed word of God, they will be reconciled, for reality is one in diversity. This, however, is not to be doubted because there is unity even in golden rule among all religions of the world. The teaching according to which we should treat others as we ourselves would wish to be treated, is an ethic variously repeated in all great religions:
In Buddhism: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful” Udana- varqa, 5:18. In Ziriastruabusn: “That nature only is good for when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self”- Dadis-tan-I dinik, 94:4. In Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the entire law, all the rest is commentary.”- The Talmud, Shahbat 310. In Hinduism: “This is the sum of all righteousness: deal with others as thou wouldst thy self be dealt by. Do nothing to thy neighbor which thou wouldst not him do to thee after.”- The Mahabharata.
In Christianity, the same voice is heard thus: “As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” -Jesus Christ, Luke 6:31. In Islam: “No one is believer until he desires for his brother that which he desire for himself.”-Sunnah. In Taoism: “The good ought to pity the malignant tendencies of others, to rejoice over their excellence to help them in their straits to regard their gains as if they were his own, and their losses in the same way.”-The Thai-Shang, 3. According to Confucianism: “Surely it is the maxim of loving-kindness: do not unto others that you would not have them do unto you.”-Analects, xv, 23. In the tablet of Baha-u-llah, 71 (bahai) it says: “Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself.”
Every religion is one. Religion is the outer expression of divine reality. Therefore, it must be living, vitalized, moving and progressive. If it be without motion and non-progressive it is without the divine life; it is dead. The divine institutes are continuously active and evolutionary; therefore, the revelation of them must be progressive and continuous. All things are subject to reformation. Old ideas and modes of thought are fast becoming obsolete. Ancient laws and archaic ethical systems will not meet the age of the revelation of reality and therefore the greatest of all centuries.
All the world over, mankind has honoured the spokesmen of God and has adopted their teachings. It reveres Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, Zoroaster, Krishna, and other high prophets as its greatest leaders. But it has not looked at them as related to one another. It has thought of them as rivals, competing for the homage of the world. Man has imagined that to accept the revelation of one is to deny the revelation of every other and that the followers of any one high-prophet are not loyal to their lord unless they esteem Him the sole authentic revealer come from God. This imagination of man has sought to balance the high- prophet-against one another as it were in scales, so that when one goes up, the other must go down. Thus, the influence of religion which ought to unify the earthmen, has, through a deep misunderstanding, engendered hostility and strife.
The prophets never spoke evil or ill of one another; the antagonism originated from their followers. None of the prophets affirmed that his revelation was final or exhaustive. In former ages the manifestations of prophets and masters did not explain clearly their station. Sometimes they spoke as though they were God himself, at other times they would admit that they themselves were human. Their immediate companions, perhaps, understood the hidden references to their true state, but later followers were confused. These either worshipped them as God or regarded them only as inspired men. Doctrines such as the Trinity were evolved to try to explain the seeming contradiction of their station.
We, in this glorious age, are more fortunate because Christ is here in the person of the Holy Spirit to teach us all things. A casual look at the great religions of the world is enough, if unprejudiced, to reveal that they have much in common. All teach love, justice, detachment from personal desire, honesty, selflessness, mercy, truthfulness, moderation, and trustworthiness. These truths are not just words. When society forgets them, the resulting pain is sharp and deep.
Baha’ is believe that religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of the earth, give birth to spirituality, and bring life and light to each heart. Mankind will have achieved the great peace, for which from age the sacred scriptures have constantly held the promise, as we shall soon see. The Bible says: “Depart from evil, and do good, seek peace and pursue it”- Ps. 34:14. According to Lao Tse: “Weapons, however ornamental, are not a source of happiness, but are dreaded by all. Therefore, the man of Tao will not abide where such things are.” For Buddha: “Among such humans, brethren, at Ketumati the royal city, there will arise Sankha, a wheel-turning king, righteous and ruling in righteousness.
“He will live in supremacy over this earth to ocean bounds, having conquered it not by the scourge, not by the sword, but by righteousness.”
Mr. NATHAN UZORMA, a social critic, wrote from Lagos. [myad]