
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, during a press briefing in Abuja, said, "I also want to remind all health workers that the ethics of their professions dictates that at all times emergency care must not be denied to those that need them. I thank you all."
While describing the strike as unnecessary, he said, "Almost all the issues in contention were either those that had been satisfactorily resolved or issues that could be treated merely through administrative mechanism."
The minister said he had expected the NMA to attend to all emergency cases in public hospitals.
He recalled that a few weeks after the strike notice, the Federal Government held a 14-hour marathon meeting with the association on June 25, 2014 during which the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding that addressed all the 24 issues presented by the NMA.
Chukwu said, "The MoU was to have apprehended the nationwide strike that was threatened by the association. However, the NMA jettisoned the MoU and proceeded on strike on July 1, 2014. Despite reneging on the MoU, the government immediately invited the NMA to series of meetings on July 1 2014; yet this could not dissuade the NMA from the strike. Another meeting that was planned for July 2, 2014 was aborted when the NMA officials failed to show up."
The NMA, however, honoured another meeting scheduled for July 3 attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, and other relevant stakeholders.
Chukwu said, "At the end of the meeting which lasted for 10 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 Friday (yesterday) begin to 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 meeting scheduled for Monday, July 7, 2014. The Federal Government is not unaware of the suffering and hardship that the strike has imposed on the generality of Nigerians, but wish to reassure Nigerians that not only does the government disapprove of this unnecessary industrial action, but has made efforts to negotiate with the NMA and ensure the immediate resumption of services in government hospitals."
Meanwhile, the Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, on Friday assured that the ongoing strike embarked upon by the NMA would soon be called off.
Uduaghan told journalists in Asaba that he had met with all the parties involved in the industrial action and they agreed that if they could not call off the strike, skeletal services would be rendered to patients.
He said, "I understand that some of those agreements that were reached with the government have not been fulfilled and that is part of the reasons members of the NMA had to embark on the strike on July 1, 2014."
The governor said he travelled to Abuja when the strike commenced and put together a team of some medical doctors in government including the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications, Dr. Doyin Okupe, and held a meeting with the government team led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Ayim; Minister of Health; Minister of State for Health; Minister of Labour; and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health.
He said, "Thereafter we held a special meeting with them and discussed the major issues, we then brought in the officials of the NMA and extensive meetings were held till quite late into the night.
"I think reasonably some of the issues have been resolved and hopefully, emergency services should start very soon, by God's grace in the next few days."
PUNCH
Thanks
