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Tag: Doctors

  • Ondo doctors, others on strike over unpaid wages

    Ondo doctors, others on strike over unpaid wages

    Medical doctors in  Ondo State yesterday withdrew their services in all government hospitals.

    Many patients were affected.

    The doctors protested the non-payment of their five- month salaries by the government.

    Medical personnel, including pharmacists, nurses, laboratory scientists and other allied health workers, marched on major streets in Ondo town.

    The doctors, who converged on the Mother and Child Hospital, at 7am closed the gate leading to the hospital.

    They carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Pay our salaries “; “Shall we die before you pay us?”; “We are saving lives, pay our salaries and “Save us from hunger” among others.

    The Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo, who addressed the protesters  said he would  meet with Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    He said the government cannot afford to play with the health of the people.

    But the health workers vowed to continue with the protest, until their salaries are fully paid.

     

     

  • Emotions run high as relations recall last moments with six Ekiti deceased doctors

    Emotions run high as relations recall last moments with six Ekiti deceased doctors

    The death of six medical doctors and their driver on their way to the Annual Delegates Meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has left wives, children and families shattered and disconsolate. Family members and associates have been mourning the monumental losses. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports

    What has been described in some quarters as a “tragedy of monumental proportion” befell Ekiti State on Sunday even though it took place hundreds of kilometres away. Six medical doctors, who were delegates from the state to the Annual Delegates Meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Sokoto, including their driver, died on their way to their destination.

    There were 13  persons inside the Toyota Hiace (Hummer) bus belonging to Ekiti State Chapter of the NMA which left Ado Ekiti, the state capital, earlier on Sunday but the ill-fated journey ended in an accident few kilometres to Kaduna, the Kaduna State capital, along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.

    The victims are: Dr. Adeniyi Atolani,  Senior Health Officer with the Hospitals Management Board; Dr J.B. Ogunseye, who served as Senior Dental Officer at General Hospital, Ifaki; Dr. Olayiwola Olajide who until his death President of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) Branch.

    The rest are: Dr. Alexander Akinyele, who was a resident doctor, Community Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI) and Dr. O.J. Taiwo, a consultant Anatomic Pathologist at EKSUTH; a consultant General Surgeon at FETHI, the late Dr. Tunde Aladesanmi and the driver of the NMA bus, Mr. Ajibola Olowookere.

    The case of the late Dr. Taiwo was very pathetic because his mother died on Saturday, April 23 while he died a day later on Sunday, April 24. He was to celebrate his 50th birthday.

    At the private clinic of Dr. Aladesanmi, Shalom Medical Centre along Balemo Quarters, off Adebayo Street, it was gathered that the facility had been locked since Monday following the incident. A younger brother to the doctor, Mr. Adewunmi Aladesanmi, told our correspondent that he spoke with his late brother around 2:30 pm on Sunday.

    “Shortly after, I could not get to him again. I spoke with him again around 4 p.m. Around 5 p.m, I called him again, his line had been switched off.  Ten minutes later, I received a call that the vehicle was involved in an accident. Immediately I went to his house to inform his wife”.

    He said after sometime, he received a call again from someone who said his brother had died. He said the late Aladesanmi is survived by three kids, wife and aged parents.

    Dr. Akinyele’s father, Chief Idowu Akinyele, who was a former council chairman of Efon local government said he had taken solace in God “as the giver and taker” of life. He lamented: “The doctor kept on promising. But he did not promise that I would be the one to bury him.”

    First to be buried was Dr. Aladesanmi, who was honored with a funeral service at the Life Fountain Cathedral of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Secretariat Road, Ado-Ekiti, where he served as a deacon before his death.

    His daughter, Jesutoni said: “My sweet dad, I love you so much. I know you are dead but I believe you are still with me. Please, just appear to me in a dream and make me brilliant and tell me you love me. I will always make you proud dad. Rest in peace.”

    Her sibling, Jesutomisin, said: “Daddy, it was too soon to leave me. Continue to rest in the bossom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

    Four of the victims, including three doctors and their driver, were buried on Thursday after a commendation/funeral service was held in their honour at the state NMA Secretariat, otherwise known as Doctors’ House along Ado-Iyin Road on Thursday.

    Those who were given the last honour were: the late Dr. Adeniyi, Dr. Ogunseye, Dr. Olajide and the driver, Mr. Ajibola. Ogunseye and Olajide were buried at the premises of the Doctors’ House, while the remains of Adeniyi and Olowookere were conveyed to their communities for interment.

    The remains of two other victims, Dr. Akinyele and Dr. O.J. Taiwo, a consultant Anatomic Pathologist at EKSUTH, will be buried on Monday and Tuesday respectively. Taiwo’s burial was put on hold because his mother died barely 24 hours before he died on his way to Sokoto.

    The event was attended by Governor Ayo Fayose, represented by his deputy, Dr, Kolapo Olusola; House of Assembly Speaker, Kola Oluwawole; Head of Service, Dr. Gbenga Faseluka; Chief of Staff, Dipo Anisulowo; other senior government officials, head of health institutions and top NMA officials.

    Fayose has given approval for automatic employment of the wives of Akinyele and Olajide who were not in government service before the demise of their husbands.

    The service featured praise worship, hymns, funeral orations and choir ministration. It was another opportunity for family members to speak on the virtues and the last moments some of them shared with the deceased before the death bell tolled.

    Elder brother of Dr. Olajide, Dr. Bode Olajide, said his brother’s death in the auto crash was shocking and the entire family was still coming to terms with the loss.

    “I am short of words, I don’t know what to say again. We were four in number, two boys and two girls. We struggled through life for us to survive. Lord, I have so many questions in my heart.

    “We use to call him ‘Balogun’, he was a peacemaker. He used to say boda mi…boda mi. He promised to follow my footstep. When I was in the medical school. This will be a heavy burden in my heart but the consolation I have is that ‘Layi is in heaven.”

    A family member of the driver of the ill-fated bus, Mr. Olowo, who had a moving oration that stirred up emotions, described the deceased as a committed person.

    The late NMA driver, who was a father of three, was being buried on a day his last child clocked one year.

    Olowo said: “Aji-bobo, I call you the seventh man but to us, you were Aji. You were a son to the larger family,a father, a husband; you are irreplaceable, unforgettable. You were the seventh person; to some, you were anonymous, to others, you were a stranger in the midst of doctors, my dependable brother. You were a caring person; friendship was worth more than money to you.

    “You died in company of great men. Temi is exactly one year today and he will bear your name forever. I called you on 24th April, no answer; I called you when I saw your body in the mortuary even though I couldn’t recognise you again but you didn’t answer.”

    Brother to Dr. Atolani, Mr. Olabisi Atolani, said: “In everything we should give thanks, says the Word of God. What happened was beyond our control. My brother was the last born of the family and he never disappointed. He was a lovely brother and when you called him that you have any problem, especially when you are sick, he was ever ready to assist and he was a great blessing to the family.

    “He never allowed anything to push him away from the Word of God. He would never look down on anybody despite his status as a doctor.  The lesson for us all is that no matter the number of years you spend on earth, we should try to have positive impact on the lives of the people.”

    Programme moderator, Dr. Samuel Omotoso, a member of the House of Assembly representing Oye Constituency 1, gave oration in honour of Dr Olajide and Dr. Taiwo who hailed from his constituency.

    As he continued his oration, Omotoso who had composed himself earlier in the day broke down in tears and couldn’t continue again.

    Dr. Tunji Omotayo, who also spoke on virtues of Taiwo, said: “We were in the university together, did NANS politics in the school and all these years, we put our lives on the line. We were looking forward to June 12 to celebrate his 50th birthday, but death has taken him away. He was a good friend, very dependable friend. I don’t know what to say rather than to say why?”

    Younger brother to Dr. Ogunseye, Mr. Muyiwa Ogunseye, said: “He was my immediate elder brother, I never knew that this was how his death would come. I saw him last on Saturday (April 23) and he talked to me about our parents. On Sunday, I went to our mother but nobody believed that this would be how he would end it.

    “He was a loving husband to his wife and a caring father to his daughter. I pray that God will give his aged parents and the younger ones the courage bear this loss.”

  • Ekiti doctors: Bodies of four victims buried

    The bodies of three  doctors from Ekiti State and their driver, who died on Sunday in an accident on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, were buried yesterday.

    They were on their way to the Annual Delegates Meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Sokoto.

    Their remains were interred after a commendation/funeral service at the state NMA Secretariat, otherwise known as Doctors’ House, on Ado-Iyin Road.

    Those given the last honour were Dr. Atolani Adeniyi, Senior Health Officer with the Hospitals Management Board; Dr J.B. Ogunseye, who served as Senior Dental Officer at General Hospital, Ifaki; Dr. Olayiwola Olajide who was President of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) and the driver, Mr. Olowookere Ajibola.

    The remains of Ogunseye and Olajide were buried in the premises of the Doctors’ House while the bodies of Adeniyi and Ajibola were conveyed to their communities for interment.

    The remains of two other victims, Dr. Alexander Akinyele, who was a Resident Doctor, Community Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI) and Dr. O.J. Taiwo, a consultant Anatomic Pathologist at EKSUTH will be buried on Monday and Tuesday.

    The remains of Dr. Tunde Aladesanmi, a consultant General Surgeon at FETHI, had been buried on Wednesday after a funeral service at Life Fountain Cathedral of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

    Taiwo’s burial was put on hold because his mother died barely 24 hours before he died.

    Family members and relatives were speechless and inconsolable throughout the service.

    The service featured praise, worship, hymns, funeral orations and choir ministration.

    Pastor Olurotimi Sanya, who spoke on the topic: “Teach Us to Number Our Days”, described human life as very short and ephemeral.

    Sanya, a Professor of Medicine and Provost, College of Medicine, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), urged the congregation to always prepare for the day of death which, according to him, doesn’t give a prior notice.

    The preacher, who took his text from Psalm 90:12, noted that none of the victims planned to die on their way to Sokoto and never knew that they would be embarking on a journey of no return.

    Quoting from Ecclesiastes 3, Sanya said there was time for everything as there is time to be born and time to die. He called on the audience to turn away from sins and commit their lives to God to whom they will return.

    He said one of the ironies of life is the fact that there is no chronological roster of death as a younger person may die before the elderly.

    The event was attended by Governor Ayo Fayose represented by Deputy Governor Kolapo Olusola; House of Assembly Speaker Kola Oluwawole; Head of Service Gbenga Faseluka; Chief of Staff Dipo Anisulowo; other senior government officials, head of health institutions and top NMA officials.

    Fayose has approved automatic employment for Akinyele’s and Olajide’s widows.

    The governor urged the families to take heart, pledging government’s support to them.

    He said: “When God says it is time, it is time. When your own day comes what will people say about you and when my own time comes what will the people say about me?

    “We all have our own today and tomorrow but the greatest tomorrow is the one that will meet us at the feet of Christ. Let us learn from our departed brothers, they died in active service, they were hardworking and diligent.”

    Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige  condoled with the  NMA President and members.

    He described the death as a blow to health service delivery in Nigeria.

    Ngige said: “I received with great shock the untimely death of six doctors and their driver, whose lives were cut in their prime.

    “I share in the pains and identify with NMA and the families of the deceased in this moment of great grief.”

    The minister prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed doctors and asked God to grant the families and the NMA the fortitude to bear the loss

  • NYSC to deploy doctors, pharmacists, others to IDPs camps

    NYSC to deploy doctors, pharmacists, others to IDPs camps

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is to deploy medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other medical professionals to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps nationwide.

    The Director General of NYSC, Brig-Gen. Sule Kazaure, made this known Thursday while flagging-off the NYSC intervention programme at Damare IDPs camp in Yola.

    Kazaure said that the deployment of NYSC to the camps was part of the scheme’s contribution to government’s efforts in assisting the IDPs.

    “This programme, which is designed to bring succour to the inmates in this centre, is also intended to compliment government’s efforts towards provision of the welfare needs of members of IDPs nationwide.

    “The scheme, therefore, will deploy the services of corps professionals such as medical doctors, nurses, pharmacist, etc to the centre to assist Federal Government in the provision of medical and other sundry needs of the IDPs.

    “Specifically corps members will be participating in medical outreaches, environmental sanitation, educational intervention and general awareness creation on healthy living,” he said.

    Kazaure also said that the scheme would use the opportunity provided by the programme to distribute food items and other materials to the IDPs.

    He said that the flag-off of the intervention programme was his major official assignment outside Abuja and this was an indication of the importance the NYSC attached to the plight of the IDPs.

    Kazaure urged other wealthy Nigerians and corporate organisations to assist government in rehabilitating IDPs in the country.

    He commended the military, NEMA, Red Cross, NGOs and various faith based organisations for their contributions to welfare of IDPs.

    “I want to thank you all, especially, the corps members who despite all odds are currently serving in the state,” Kazaure said.

    The leader of IDPs in Damare camp, Mallam Modu Gana, lauded the intervention programme of the NYSC which he said was timely.

    Gov. Muhammadu Jibrilla of Adamawa and the State Coordinator of NEMA, Mr Sa’ad Bello, also lauded NYSC for the gesture, which they said, reflected one of the objectives of the scheme.

     

  • ICPC’s battle against fake doctors

    ICPC’s battle against fake doctors

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) is set to battle Martins Ugwu, who confessed to working with the Federal Ministry of Health for close to a decade with stolen certificates. The commission is also prosecuting another fake doctor, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU

    Mr Davidson George joined the Federal Ministry of Health  in 2006 as a Medical Officer 11 on grade level 13. He was due to be promoted as Assistant Director in Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, a parastatal of the ministry when it turned out the man everybody had addressed as George in the last few years is actually Martins Ugwu.

    He was later remanded in prison after he was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja. He was accused of stealing certificates of Exemption issued by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level), belonging to George.

    A five-count charge was brought against him. He was charged, among others in the five-count charge, of claiming ownership of the certificates and tendering them before the Federal Civil Service Commission in Ebonyi State and was offered a temporary letter of appointment, dated August 30, 2006.

    Count one of the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/296/2015 reads: “That you Martins Ugwu Okpe, male, aged 44 years, of the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on or about March 13, 2006, at an unspecified hour in Karu Abuja of the Abuja Division, committed stealing; and did steal certificates of Bachelor of Medicine and National Youth Service Corps Exemption dated February 8, 2005, with serial number 000027400, property of Mr. Daniel Davidson George, being the certificate awarded to him by the Senate of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State, dated August 29, 2002 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 383 and punishable under Section 390 of the Criminal Code Law.”

    Ugwu pleaded not guilty. Justice Gabriel Kolawole granted the accused bail in terms and conditions agreed upon by the prosecution and defence lawyers, Malik Taiwo and O. O. Otemu.

    Taiwo filed a counter-affidavit to Ugwu’s bail application but withdrew it later. Justice Kolawole admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in the same amount. He later met the condition and returned home.

    The case is still on but the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) is determined to retrieve the over N17m he earned as a worker in the ministry.

     

    The beginning of the end

    Trouble began for Okpe when three of his colleagues – Dr. Adebayo Williams, Chidozie Godwin and Abdulazeez Umar, in a petition titled: “Unbecoming Behaviour of Dr. George Davidson Daniel” to the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission on May 13, last year asked for the investigation of his professional claims. They complained that “Dr. George, who claims to be a trained medical doctor in such a way that is unbecoming of his profession, has been involved in blackmailing, character assassination and mudslinging”.  The petitioners said Ugwu was using the certificate of a medic with a Mission in Jos,  Dr. Davidson Daniel.

    The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) forwarded the petition to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the body in charge of keeping the records of all medical practitioners in the country. The council discovered that it has a doctor named George Davidson Daniel in its archive, but the picture sent to it from the Ministry is different from the one sent in its archive.

    On June 4, last year, the Registrar of MDCN, Dr. A. Ibrahim, in a letter to the Chairman of FCSC, Deacon Joan Ayo, confirmed that Ugwu was impersonating Daniel.

    The council wrote: “Records available to the council revealed that this Dr. Davidson Daniel George is an impostor as he is impersonating another Dr. Davidson Daniel who is the genuine doctor and currently undertaking his residency training in Jos, Plateau State. Council summoned and interacted with the genuine doctor who gave some vital information on the impostor. Council has reported the matter to the law enforcement agency as a case of impersonation, with the genuine doctor deposing to a statement with regards to what happened between him and the fake doctor whose real name is Mr. Martins Ugwu. As it is, Mr. Martins Ugwu is an imposter. You may therefore wish to take further actions to deal with this matter in accordance with the provisions of the law.”

    On June 5, last year, the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), in a letter to the Chairman of FCSC, confirmed that the real George Davidson Daniel graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in May 2002. The latter was signed by the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Prof. A. G. Bakari.

    After its investigations, FCSC wrote  the ministry asking that the suspect should be handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution. He was placed on suspension pending his dismissal from the Service.

    Ugwu initially dismissed the allegation against him claiming he was being victimised because he was exposing the rot in the ministry. At another point, he said he joined the ministry with a friend’s credentials so as to have enough facts to expose corrupt people in the ministry.

    When the deputy spokesperson of the police, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Abayomi Shogunle paraded him at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on July 7, last year, Ugwu , who confessed to the crime, said he was 44 and father of five.

    He said: “I never opted for clinical services to avoid damage that may occur. I went into administration and research. It is in the health services, research and statistics that all the fraud in the health sector is found.

    “I have great remorse but it’s my desire to save my country that pushed me into this. I have great passion for Nigeria. I participated in the Ebola mission and much more and have not even been paid.

    “Severally there were biometrics verification but I survived them. I was the NMA chairman since 2008. Federal Ministry of health, I don’t think it has the mechanisms for that. The ministry is porous.”

     

    Enter the ICPC

    The ICPC has dragged Ugwu to a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court on eight count charges of stealing and impersonation. In the charges signed by Osuobeni Ekpo Akponimisingha for the Attorney- General of the Federation, ICPC accused Ugwu of presenting stolen certificates of his friend to the FCSC on August 30, 2006 to gain employment with the Federal Government.  The ICPC accused Ugwu of earning salaries of over N17 million from 21 September, 2006 to 31 May, 2015 as an employee of the ministry.

    The offences, the commission said, are punishable under section 25 (1) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

    Ugwu  is also to answer for deceiving the Chairman of FCSC by claiming in a  form that that his next of kin is ‘Ugwu Martins’ – thus running foul of section 25 (1) (a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

    The ICPC is also charging Ugwu for falsely presenting himself as Dr. George Daniel Davidson between 2006 to 2015 to earn promotions and  other benefits.

    Five witnesses have been lined up against him. They include two ICPC investigators, Dr. George Daniel Davidson, FCSC Chairman, MDCN Registrar and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health.

    And George Dawari

    The commission is also prosecuting Mr George Dawari who it said not only posed as a medical doctor but was also involved in visa scams.

    The media consultant to the ICPC, Folu Olamiti, noted that during interrogation, it was discovered that the suspect was neither a medical doctor nor did he work in the National Hospital Abuja as claimed.

    Dawari was arrested on June 5, 2015 on the strength of a petition filed before ICPC alleging that he demanded N450,000 from a couple with a promise to procure 5-year visas to the United States for them and members of their  family.

    Olamiti said: “?After obtaining a warrant, a search on the residence of Dawari who had earlier offered to administer drugs on one of the  petitioners, a female, under the pretense of being a medical doctor, ICPC operatives discovered some medical equipment including a stethoscope and medical coverall with his name engraved on it in his possession.

    “Also discovered in the suspect’s house were  six green Nigerian  passports, four  of which had been stamped with the United States visas . The passports were subsequently sent to the American Embassy for authentication. The  U.S. Embassy declared the visas fake and process for procurement fraudulent.”

    He is being tried at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja for violating section 16 of the ICPC Act 2000 and section 321 of the Penal Code.

  • Doctors’ strike notice

    Doctors’ strike notice

    •Federal Government should engage them before the ultimatum lapses

    Reports that the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) has given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to meet their demands or “face an indefinite strike” should worry Nigerians who are already contending with many challenges. Doctors’ strike can only compound their problems.

    NARD’s President, Dr. Muhammad Askira, at a news conference on April 4 made the ultimatum that took effect from that day public. He said the resolution to this effect was reached at the end of the association’s extraordinary executive council meeting. Some of the demands he listed were: payment of the salaries of their members in the states and federal tertiary hospitals, recall of their sacked members, and appropriate funding of residency training programme.

    Specifically, Dr Askira complained about some of their members in states’ tertiary hospitals in Osun, Imo, Ekiti, Abia and Kogi, among others, who are owed “three to eight months’ salaries”. He also urged the Federal Government to adequately fund hospitals “in line with international best practices”. According to him, there is the urgent need to upgrade public health facilities in Nigerian hospitals so as to check the high rate of medical tourism prevalent in the country.

    As far as NARD is concerned, he said it would  no longer tolerate undue sack of resident doctors and urged government to comply with the deduction of pensions act as amended in 2014.

    Most of these demands are genuine. This is why we are disappointed by the threat of the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, that any health worker that engaged in “industrial disharmony” would forfeit his salary. Threat should not be the response to such ultimatum. And, as Dr. Askira noted, the minister must also ascribe penalty for “work without pay” that the affected states are doing before the penalty for “no work no pay”.

    The government should look more carefully into the doctors’ complaints. It should not joke with the welfare of doctors under any circumstance because of their services to humanity. In civilised countries where our politicians and money bags frequently visit for medical treatment, hardly does one find a medical doctor suffering from pecuniary embarrassment as in our country where poor and delayed salaries make nonsense of a doctor’s status. Indeed, Nigeria is one of the few places where we expect a doctor to perform such an important job of saving lives with poor remuneration, unpaid allowances, apart from lack of necessary equipment to work with in the hospitals.

    However, the doctors too should always remember the Hippocratic Oath to which they swore as a moral dimension of their life-saving profession which puts sanctity of life above everything else. They should endeavour to think about saving the lives of patients first before any other consideration. In the case of a general strike, many patients admitted into  hospitals will die. These are the issues government ought to consider at all times. It is only when there is life that there is hope for both the rich and poor. Therefore, governments at all levels should pay better attention to the welfare of men and women of the medical profession.

    We urge the doctors to exercise patience, especially as President Muhammadu Buhari has intervened in the matter. At least the president’s position is more conciliatory than that of his health minister. He has promised to honour all the agreements duly entered into by the Federal Government. We take this to mean that these include agreements reached with the medical doctors. But then, the president must also understand that time is of the essence. He should set in motion the necessary machinery now rather than wait till the last minute before acting, as was the case with his predecessors.

  • Buhari urges doctors to shelve planned strike

    Buhari urges doctors to shelve planned strike

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday urged the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to shelve its proposed strike and give the Federal Government more time to address the grievances of doctors.

    He made the call at a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), at the State House, Abuja.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, gave the doctors an assurance that no agreements duly entered into by the Federal Government will be dishonoured by his administration.

    He called for greater understanding and support from doctors and all Nigerians in view of the present short fall in national revenue brought about by the decline of crude oil prices.

    The President decried the adverse impact of the fall in oil prices on the Federal Government’s spending plans for health and other sectors and said that his administration will continue to do its best to address issues that are of concern to doctors and other Nigerians.

    The President also gave the NMA delegation an insight into his administration’s plan to establish 10,000 primary healthcare centres across the country in the next two years with the objective of providing better healthcare for about 100 million Nigerians.

    He also told the delegation led by NMA President, Dr. Kayode Obembe that the National Health Act will soon be gazetted and a steering committee appointed to oversee its implementation.

    The Minister of Health , Prof. Isaac Adewole described the plan to establish more healthcare centres as “the single most ambitious health plan for the poor in the history of Nigeria”.

    In his remarks at the meeting, Dr. Obembe called for the implementation of the report of the Yayale Ahmed Committee on better relations among  professional groups in the health sector.

    He also called for fast-tracking of the implementation of the National Health Act.

    At a separate meeting with the leadership of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), President Buhari promised that his administration will evolve and implement measures to curb friction and disharmony among the professional groups in the health sector.

    The President urged the PSN to work more closely with the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to curb the sale of fake medicines in the country.

    The President of the PSN, Ahmed Ibrahim  Yakasai assured President Buhari that pharmacists in Nigeria were ready to work in harmony with other professionals in the health sector to help the Federal Government achieve its objective of improving healthcare services in the country.

  • Osun doctors call off seven-month strike

    Osun doctors call off seven-month strike

    Striking medical doctors in Osun State under the aegis of Association of Medical and Dental Officers yesterday suspended their seven-month-old industrial action.

    The chairman of the association, Dr Isiaka Adekunle, confirmed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital.

    He said the doctors would report for duty today.

    Adekunle told NAN that though the government was yet to meet any of their demands, their decision to resume was in response to appeals from residents.

    He, however, said the association would continue to dialogue with the government.

    Adekunle said the association took the decision at its Annual General Meeting on March 30.

    He said: “House of Assembly Speaker Najeem Salaam and some others prevailed on us to call off the strike.

    “We observed that the people who are at the receiving end of our strike are the masses who can only access health care from state owned hospitals.

    “Based on this, the doctors unanimously agreed at our AGM that the strike be suspended despite the fact that none of our demands has been met by the government

    “While we pray for good fortune for the state and the nation as a whole, when the economy of the state improves, government will have no choice than to answer our demands.”

    Adekunle appealed to the government to keep to its promises by not victimising members who participated in the strike.

    “We want a promise from the government that none of our members will be victimised for participating in the strike.

    “We believe government will keep to its side of agreement while we keep to ours,” he said.

    The doctors went on strike on September 28, last year, to protest unpaid salaries and non-remittance of their cooperative and contributory deductions from their salaries.

     

  • Osun doctors call off seven months strike

    Striking medical doctors in Osun under the aegis of Association of Medical and Dental Officers, on Sunday suspended their seven months industrial action.

    The chairman of the association, Dr Isiaka Adekunle confirmed the suspension of the strike in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Osogbo.

    He said the doctors would report for duty on Monday..

    Adekunle told NAN that though the government was yet to meet any of their demands, their decision to resume work was in response to appeals from well-meaning people of the state.

    He, however, said that the association would continue to dialogue with the government.

    Adekunle said the association took the decision to call off the strike at its Annual General Meeting held on March 30.

    He said: “the Speaker of the state Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam and some other people prevailed on us to call off the strike.

    “We also observed that the people who are at the receiving end of our strike are the masses who can only access health care from state owned hospitals.

    “Based on this, the doctors unanimously agreed at our AGM that the strike be suspended despite the fact that none of our demands has been met by the government

    “While we pray for good fortune for the state and the nation as a whole, when the economy of the state improves, government will have no choice than to answer our demands.”

    Adekunle appealed to the government to keep to its promises by not victimising its members who participated in the strike.

    “We want a promise from the government that none of our members will be victimised for participating in the strike.

    “We believe government will keep to its side of agreement while we keep to ours,” he said.

    NAN recalls that the doctors went on strike on Sept. 28, 2015 to protest unpaid salaries and non-remittance of their cooperative and contributory deductions from their salaries to the appropriate quarters.

  • Why TB war must be won, by doctors

    Why TB war must be won, by doctors

    Doctors have joined the World Health Organisation (WHO) in drawing the battleline against tuberculosis (TB).

    The Association of General Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) has dedicated its forthcoming 38th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference to fight the killer-disease in line with WHO’s call on its member-countries and partners to “Unite to end TB”.

    AGPMPN, which AGM holds in Abuja on April 14, plans to collaborate with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLCP) to fight the scourge.

    Chairman, Scientific Committee for the AGM/Scientific Conference Dr Biodun Ogungbo said AGPMPN is partnering with Global Fund, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), WHO and Clinton Health Access Initiative, among others, to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria because private hospitals exist in every part of the country.

    The group can also work towards a functional referral system for TB patients.

    Ogungbo described his group’s effort to end the scourge as timely as WHO’s End TB Strategy aims to reduce TB deaths by 90 per cent and new cases by 80 per cent by 2030

    “Though WHO said there has been significant progress in the fight against TB, with 43 million lives saved since 2000, but despite these advances, formidable challenges remain, including fragile health systems, human resource and financial constraints, and the serious co-epidemics with HIV, diabetes, and tobacco use.

    “MDR-TB is another critical challenge. Urgent and effective action to address antimicrobial resistance is important to ending TB by 2030. So are increased investments, as the global tuberculosis response remains underfunded for both implementation and research.

    “And the AGPMPN going with this year’s ‘Find TB, treat TB and working together to eliminate TB’ with the slogan ‘Unite to end TB’, is re-strategising along with Federal Government through the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLCP). The diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis are provided free of charge by the body,” Ogungbo said.

    TB, he said, could be diagnosed with a simple laboratory test, using a sputum sample. ”The laboratory diagnosis rests mainly with the identification of the tubercle bacilli in a clinical specimen (sputum, other bodily fluids such CSF) by using available laboratory methods, microscopy, culture and GeneXpert MTB/RI. The test GeneXpert MTB/RI and others have the potential to revolutionise the diagnosis of TB. Other methods such as a good history of contact with a sufferer, a chest x-ray and a skin test are also important,” he said.

    The association said its efforts would yield results and further reduce the cases of TB and drug resistance.

    “The collaboration will enhance the number of diagnostics, treatment and research centres across the country. We need private hospitals to take custody of some of the diagnostic kits and drugs for easy access by patients. This will also allow for good monitoring, evaluation, thus spreading the catchment net widely. This is also in the spirit of public private partnership (PPP) in health care as majority of Nigerians patronise private hospitals and clinics,” Ogungbo said.

    Chairman, Stop TB partnership in Nigeria Dr Lovett Lawson and her team members, including Dr Gabriel Akang, Dr Josephine Okechukwu and Dr Emmanuel Meribole, all of NTLCP are expected at the AGM.