The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)

  • Kogi denies plan to replace striking doctors

    Kogi denies plan to replace striking doctors

    The Kogi Government said on Monday it had no plan to sack the 163 medical doctors in its pay roll.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Audu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja that the peddling the rumour were mischief makers.

    Audu said that, rather, the government would recruit 230 health personnel, to complement existing ones.

    “The rumour of planned replacement of striking doctors is an erroneous impression emanating from trouble peddlers and mischief makers,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that the Kogi chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) recently accused the government of planning to recruit fresh doctors to replace those on strike.

    The NMA Chairman, Dr Godwin Tijani, had in a statement alleged that Ministry of Health would conduct the recruitment on June 19, to replace doctors on strike.

    However, the commissioner dismissed the statement as misleading.

    “Not only do we find such an assertion preposterous and mischievous, but one wonders what anyone stands to gain from the spread of such rumour.

    “Our drive is to ensure quality healthcare delivery for the people of Kogi; we will never be deterred by the criticisms of the critics and the mischief of trouble peddlers. A clear conscience fears no accusation,’’ Audu said.

    The commissioner explained that the State Executive Council gave approval in January to recruit all categories of health personnel.

    He listed those to be recruited to include Doctors, Pharmacists, Medical Laboratory Scientists, Pharmacy Technicians, Nurses, Health Record Officers and Technicians, as well as Medical Laboratory Assistants.

    NAN reports that medical doctors in the state had resumed the strike they suspended on May 13, accusing the government of reneging on an earlier agreement with them.

     

  • Kogi doctors resume strike

    Kogi doctors resume strike

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Kogi has directed its members to resume a strike they suspended two weeks ago.

    The association said in a statement after an emergency congress in Lokoja on Saturday that the resumption of the strike was informed by government’s alleged failure to fulfill its promises to meet their demands.

    Dr Godwin Tijani, the chairman of the association in Kogi, said the decision was for the entire doctors to resume strike since their demands were being ignored by the state government.

    According to him, the state government has failed to honour the agreement in spite of its assurance after the stakeholders’ intervention.

    “It is really unfortunate that we have found our self in this mess. We respected all the stakeholders who wanted the progress of the Kogi health sector, but the government is putting deaf ears into our demands.

    “We have had several promises of salary alerts for the past one week without success;  consequently, the Kogi NMA hereby directs all its members to resume strike as from 12 a.m on  June 5, 2017,’’ Tijani stated.

    The doctors’ demands include reinstatement and payment of the salaries and arrears of doctors employed in 2015 and correction and payment of arrears of doctors underpaid, among others.

    NMA had earlier suspended its 11-day old strike on May 13 to give room for dialogue with state government.

  • Osun doctors protest unpaid salaries, poor health facilities

    Members of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Osun Chapter, on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo over unpaid salaries and poor healthcare facilities in state-owned health institutions.

    The doctors, who carried placards, marched from the association’s secretariat on Gbogon/Ibadan Road to the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo, and sang anti-government songs.

    Dr Tokunbo Olajumoke, the NMA Chairman in the state, told newsmen that the state government owed doctors two years arrears of salaries.

    Olajumoke also said that government was imposing heavy task on the doctors in spite of the fact that they were not well paid.

    The NMA chairman said the doctors could no longer meet their financial obligations because of the unpaid salaries.

    Olajumoke said there were no drugs in all public hospitals in the state.

    He urged Gov. Rauf Aregbesola to ensure the payment of the arrears of their salaries without delay to avoid the wrath of doctors and its consequences.

    Reacting to the protest, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, a media aide to Aregbesola, said the state government remained committed to the welfare of workers, including doctors.

    Okanlawon said the state government had developed the most ingenious formula for satisfying the needs of its workforce within the limit of available resources.

    He said the health sector in the state had witnessed a huge improvement in the last seven years under the leadership of Aregbesola.

  • Doctors strike, a betrayal of agreement – Gov. Bello

    Doctors strike, a betrayal of agreement – Gov. Bello

    Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi has described the indefinite strike embarked by the state chapter of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) as a “betrayal of mutual agreement and a bridge of trust’’.

    Bello said this on Wednesday in a statement by his Director-General on Media and Strategy, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo.

    The governor assured residents that his administration would continue to protect their rights to quality healthcare service delivery.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the association had directed its members to embark on an indefinite strike over government’s failure to pay doctors’ salaries and other issues bordering on the staff verification exercise in the state.

    In a communique jointly signed by its Chairman, Dr Tijani Godwin, and Secretary, Dr Zubair Kabiru, after an emergency congress on Tuesday in Lokoja, directed the doctors to commence the strike on Wednesday.

    However, the governor assured the people of the state that his administration would do everything within the ambit of the law to avert the indefinite strike.

    Bello said that the wisdom behind the inclusion of NMA representative in the screening was for them to give their expert advice that would lead the committee to make informed decisions.

    “The Staff Verification Exercise received the backings of labour; NMA was duly represented in the exercise and they signed the report, which signified their acceptance for the report.

    “For NMA to turn around to condemn the report is a betrayal of agreement and an attempt to condemn the home they joined hands with government in building.

    “The decision to unnecessarily punish the people by going on strike is unfortunate and will be resisted by government.

    “In an era of recession, it is an economic sin against the people to pay workers for doing nothing.

    “We will explore legal and administrative avenues to stop the ill-fated strike.

    “As we explore negotiations and diplomatic settlement; this government will also continue the ongoing recruitment process in the health sector to bridge any gap which may tend to endanger the healthcare of our people.

    “Our doors are always open; we will always listen to unionists. We believe in inclusiveness; but we will not hesitate to take drastic decisions that will help the people of our dear state,’’ Bello said.

    The governor, however, appealed to the association not to declare war on the state, saying their primary responsibility is to save lives and ensure healthcare service delivery for the people of the state.

     

  • NMA rejects planned harmonisation of health workers’ salaries

    NMA rejects planned harmonisation of health workers’ salaries

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called on the Federal Government to shelve its planned harmonisation of salaries of health workers in the country.

    The association’s position is contained in a communiqué issued by Dr Mike Ogirima, President of NMA, on Sunday at the end of the 57th Annual General Meeting and Delegate Conference of the association, held in Calabar, from April 24 to 29 .

    It noted although health workers faced many hazards in the discharge of their duties, their output could not be compared to doctors who performed the bulk of the medical services.

    “There is an attempt to harmonise the salaries and the Federal Ministry of Health is at the lead of that attempt, which is currently causing a lot of disharmony in the health sector.

    “Medical doctors are highly skilled and few in the country; the cut-off mark for medical students now is 280 and above. Everybody wants to accept that title of doctor in the medical set up; we are not against that.

    “What we are against is the fact that everybody cannot be equated to be equal. In the animal kingdom, all animals are equal; but some are more equal than others,” it said.

    The association said that it was not against moves to enhance the welfare of other health workers, but insisted that relativity should be maintained.

    “We are not saying that the welfare of other medical workers should not be taken care of, but that relativity should be maintained when we talk of salaries of health workers in the hospitals.

    “The NMA is calling on government to evaluate different professionals in the health sector and audit the output they put at work.

    “With that, there will be more objective data and statistics to buttress our point, asking for maintenance of the relativity,” it added.

    The communiqué also lamented the deteriorating state of infrastructures in public health institutions across the country and called on governments at all levels, to place premium on developing the sector.

    It called on the Federal Government to be proactive by having a strong rapid emergency response team to handle outbreak of diseases, just as it stressed the need to resume local production of vaccines in the country.

    On the outbreak of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis across the country, the NMA condemned the poor handling of the outbreak of the disease in some states.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NMA also ratified the adoption of the association’s seal/stamp for medical practitioners to check quackery in the profession.

     

  • Meningitis: Committee in Zamfara lauds NMA, NANNM

    The Committee for the Procurement, Monitoring and Distribution of meningitis vaccines and drugs in Zamfara has commended the intervention of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in tackling meningitis in the state.

    The Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Abuabakar Muhammad-Gummi, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, gave the commendation while speaking with journalists in Gusau on Wednesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government has formed a 10-man committee to replace the one headed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Abdullahi Shinkafi.

    Muhammad-Gummi said NMA had supported the state government with 30 medical doctors.

    He also lauded the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwifery (NANNM) for supporting the committee with 30 nurses.

    “We have recorded various achievements with their support because we are now recording reduction in the number of death arising from and cases of the disease across the state.

    “As we are mandated by the state government to carry out this assignment, the government gave us all necessary support to ensure this work turns out successful.

    “When we took over from the former committee, we solicited the support of all stakeholders, particularly that of the NMA and other partners.

    “We have recorded various achievements from them, especially in the way they assist in training health workers at rural communities on emergency measures of tackling the disease.

    “We are also appreciating the efforts of traditional and religious leaders in increasing public awareness on how to fight the disease,” he said.

    The chairman urged residents to comply with all the pieces of advice given to them by health personnel.

     

  • NMA urges Zamfara Govt. to change strategies in fighting meningitis

    The Zamfara state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called on the state government to change its strategies in fighting Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreak to succeed in arresting the disease.

    The state NMA Chairman, Dr Tijjani Abubakar, made the call on Saturday in Gusau while speaking at the Inter-Secondary School Medical Quiz Competition organised by the association to mark the 2017 World Health Day.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 215 people have lost their lives to the disease while thousands of patients are receiving treatment at various health centres across the state.

    The Chairman noted such change should be seen as a matter of urgency.

    He also said the scourge of Cerebrospinal Meningitis epidemic, ravaging the state was worrisome, adding that it had reached emergency level.

    Abubakar said the committee set up by the state government to fight the outbreak must involve medical personnel to ensure success.

    “Government must review its strategies in fighting the disease by providing more funding to procure enough drugs and vaccines to reduce the menace of the disease in the state,” he said.

    Abubakar, however, called on the members of the committee to be God-fearing in discharging their duties.

    He further urged committee members not to see their assignment as an avenue for enrichment, but one that called for their total commitment toward bringing the disease to a standstill.

    “On behalf of all medical doctors in Zamfara, I wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to all the parents who lost their children and loved ones to the outbreak in the state and country at large.

    ‘’For those that suffered from various degrees of disability, we pray for their speedy recovery.”

    Abubakar also commended all stakeholders for their support and commitments in supporting the state government’s effort toward curtailing the outbreak.

    He appealed to the public to always comply with pieces of medical advice given to them as regards curtailing the disease.

  • 90 % suicide cases traceable to depression – Experts

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), on Friday in Lokoja said over 90 per cent of suicide cases reported in the country were traceable to depression.

    The Kogi Acting Chairman of NMA, Dr Godwin Tijani, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on the sidelines of this year’s “World Health Day.”

    Tijani stated that this year’s theme: “Depression, let’s talk,” was chosen by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to draw the world’s attention to the global burden of this common mental disorder.

    He commended the WHO for the initiative behind the theme, stressing that it would help to reduce incidence of suicide and attempt suicide in Nigeria and world as a whole.

    He, therefore, called for urgent need for the government to create more awareness on how to discourage the trend, prevent and treat those affected by the mental health condition.

    The chairman also urged government to reduce to the barest minimum the problem of stigma associated with depression.

    Also speaking, Dr Daniel Ajogbon , a Consultant Psychiatrist, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, said depression was the major cause of ill health and disability in the world.

    He said nobody would want to come out in this part of the world to report being depressed, hence the need to encourage people to talk about their conditions and best ways they could be addressed by the society.

    “The latest statistics from WHO says about 322 million people are depressed globally, and close to 30 million suffers depression in the African Region.

    “It is against this backdrop we have to galvanise help, encourage people to talk about the way they feel, because to be depressed is not a crime.”

    He highlighted vulnerability, genetics, social, economic insolvency, unemployment and reliance on drugs as some of the factors that caused depression in the world.

    The expert said symptoms such as sadness, weakness, loss of weight, and interest, thought of death, negative thoughts, that persist for weeks, were pointers to depression and such person should be encouraged to seek help on time.

    “So, government must plan ahead by providing quick intervention when people intend to take their lives either in their homes or in public places.

    “The government should do more to get avenue for people to be educated, create awareness and make facilities available for people to get help they need on mental illness.

    “The area of mental illness seems to have a little setback, as there is no health without mental health,” Ajogbon said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the World Health Day is marked globally on April 7 of every year.

  • Kogi at risk of meningitis – NMA

    Kogi at risk of meningitis – NMA

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has raised alarm over possible outbreak of) in Kogi, urging the state government and relevant stakeholders to be proactive.

    The state Acting Chairman of NMA, Dr Godwin Tijani, spoke in Lokoja on Thursday, while reacting to the recent reported cases of meningitis in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Dr Lawal Bakare, the Technical Assistant (Communication), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, had on Monday declared that the Federal Government was making efforts to stop the disease from spreading.

    Bakare said the government had activated an Emergency Operations Centre to manage the ongoing outbreak of the disease in five North-West states.

    “As of April 3, 2017, a total of 2,997 suspected cases of CSM were reported in 16 states out of which 146 have been laboratory-confirmed. Unfortunately, 336 deaths have also been recorded,’’ he said.

    Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia describes meningitis as “an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges.

    “The most common symptoms are fever, headache and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or altered consciousness, vomiting, and an inability to tolerate light or loud noises.’’

    According to Tijani, meningitis is a big threat to our state now, since the case has been reported in Abuja, being a transit to Kogi.

    “We are at a great risk since we cannot control or screen the influx of people passing through Kogi to the neighbouring states.

    “ It will be very difficult to identify anyone carrying the causative agent.”

    He said that the state had yet to record any case of Type ‘C’ Cerebrospinal meningitis, but expressed concern over the possible outbreak of CSM, if precautionary measures were not taken.

    The doctor urged people to avoid sleeping in an overcrowded room and maintain a ventilated environment to avert outbreak of the disease.

    Tijani also urged the general public to report to the nearest health centre, any person noticed with the symptoms of fever, persistent headache, neck stiffness and pain, nausea, vomiting and drowsiness.

    He appealed to the electricity distribution companies to help avert the outbreak of meningitis in the country.

    According to him, regular power supply will reduce heat and make people to sleep well in their homes.

    “Most of the cases of meningitis reported today are traceable to excessive heat which is not good for the body,” Tijani said.

     

  • FG commended for rehabilitating Chibok girls

    FG commended for rehabilitating Chibok girls

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has commended the Federal Government for its efforts to rehabilitate the Chibok girls.

    The association gave the commendation in a statement jointly signed by its President Prof. Mike Ogirima, and Secretary General, Dr Yusuf Sununu.

    In the statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, the association also acknowledged the efforts of the government to restore peace in the North east.

    “We wish to state that efforts to rehabilitate the released girls by the Federal Government are commendable.

    “Our members, who are specialists in various fields of rehabilitation, are (and will continue to be) involved in the on-going care of the girls,’’ the association said.