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Tag: NMA

  • NMA seeks probe into Iyayi’s death

    NMA seeks probe into Iyayi’s death

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) yesterday urged the Federal Government to constitute an official enquiry into the accident in which a former National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Festus Iyayi, died.

    Besides, it called on the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) to end reckless driving by convoys on the nation’s roads.

    The President of the association, Dr Osahon Enabulele, spoke in Benin, the Edo State capital, after he led a delegation of the members to the family of the late Iyayi.

    Other leaders of the association with Enabulele included the Secretary-General, Dr Akpufuoma Pemu; the state Chairman, Dr Emmanuel Ighodaro and a former NMA President, Dr Dominic Osaghae.

    Enabulele said: “While we mourn the extremely sad and tragic death of this dogged and courageous fighter for socio-economic and political justice in Nigeria and an unrepentant crusader for the restoration of standards and excellence in university education, we are pained that his death followed another despicable act of recklessness and impunity by executive convoys.

    “The NMA, therefore, calls on the Federal Government to institute an urgent official enquiry into the circumstances that led to Prof. Iyayi’s death, while machinery is urgently put in motion by the FRSC to end the recklessness of executive convoys, whose intolerable impunity has sent many innocent and productive Nigerians to their early graves.”

    The union leader also urged the government to fast-track the repairs and dualisation of the Abuja-Lokoja-Benin highway

    He said: “We restate our call on governments at the Federal, state and local government levels to be more committed to the development of the transport system, particularly in fixing and regularly maintaining the several bad roads and death traps that dot Nigeria’s highways and landscape.”

    The union leader said Nigeria, especially the academia, would miss Iyayi’s inspirational literary works and frank contributions “to the resolution of several questions bordering the existence of the Nigerian state”.

    Enabulele added: “While we hope this will be the last act of recklessness of executive convoys, we pray for the speedy recovery and perfect healing of all those who suffered various degrees of bodily injury.”

    The ASUU leader urged the Iyayis to be consoled that the late activist lived a good life with many accomplishments several people would wish to achieve in their lives.

    Oriabure, the son of the late Iyayi, thanked the NMA for the visit.

    He hoped the association would continue to give a voice to the voiceless, health care to ordinary Nigerians and fight for the common interest of the masses, which his father fought and died for.

  • Sultan urges striking workers to return to work

    Sultan urges striking workers to return to work

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Tuesday urged striking workers to call off their strikes and go back to the negotiating table.

    Abubakar made the call as part of his Eid el-Kabir message to the Muslim faithful.

    “We wish to use this opportunity to call on all those on strike, especially university academic and non-academic staff to call off their strikes so as to reduce the sufferings of the people.

    “And they should go back to the negotiating table in order to bring an end to the crisis.

    “This is a problem in the development of the country. We urged the government to listen to the complaints of the workers with the intention of solving them.

    “The workers on their part should always be mindful of the suffering of the teeming populace in the country,” he said.

    Abubakar maintained that the strike by the University lecturers now in its fourth month had caused a lot of hardships to the students and their parents.

    “The strike of medical workers has on its part, caused loss of many lives and untold hardship to the sick who cannot afford going to private clinics,” Abubakar said.

    He also expressed concern with the insecurity in the country, saying: “It is a matter of great concern.”

    The Sultan appealed to all Muslims to live peacefully and avoid all acts of violence.

    “We wish to call on the politicians, especially those holding executive positions, to help in ensuring the security of this country,’’ he said.

    Abubakar also urged the politicians to find lasting solution to the security situation and improve the lot of the people who elected them.

    He further called on the governments at all levels to empower the youths through proper moral education and provision of employment opportunities.

    “This will enhance the security situation and bring the desired peace in this country,” Abubakar said.

     

     

  • NMA lauds Jonathan, FEC on Gusau’s committee report

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has praised President Goodluck Jonathan and members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for discarding the report of Justice Bello Gusau’s committee on harmonious work relationship among health workers and professional groups in the sector.

    NMA’s National President, Dr Osahon Enabulele, said Jonathan deserves commendations for his position on the report.

    He spoke at the weekend during the NMA 2013 NEC meeting in Sokoto.

    The theme of the meeting was: “Promoting medical check-up as key to preventing sudden death”.

    According to him:” The step taken by the FEC needs to be supported to achieve the desired objective of enthroning harmony in Nigeria’s health sector”

    Enabulele added: “No amount of resources was too much to commit to ensure health for the Nigerian people.”

    He said the association decided to look for the face of “a well- respected, tested, strong yet accessible and credible political office holder who is youthful, focused and healthy looking” as his face-of-health.

    Speaker AminuTambawal, according to Enabulele, fitted the bill, adding, “the Speaker shall together with the NMA, offer health education messages to Nigerians through several media which shall include regular calls on Nigerians to see their licensed medical doctors/dentists for health check-up.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • NMA and health workers strike

    SIR: I read with disgust the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)’s attempt to praise doctors for working to frustrate the strike action of other health professionals. I am disappointed because the NMA ought to have used its energy to prevent the strike. To make matters worse, NMA is claiming it has the right to call out its members for strike in future when the need arises. Weird logic.

    The NMA is acting like a man who goes rat hunting when his house is on fire. Right now the Federal Government is trying to stop paying salaries to House Officers under the guise computerized salary payment. Teaching hospitals are now being asked to pay interns and house officers from their internal revenue. The result of this is that many will not be able to employ as many as they do today. This will compound the backlog of frustrated medical graduates.

    What the leadership of the NMA do not realize is that the current Minister of Finance has a long held desire, since here first tenure, to stop paying interns. Computerized payroll has provided a good excuse.

    Could it be that the present leadership of the NMA belong to the group of medical elders that like the idea of not paying interns and using them as cheap labour?

    • Nehemiah Sokponba

    Medical Store Road

    Benin

  • NMA withdraws from health Workers’ strike

    NMA withdraws from health Workers’ strike

    The Nigerian Medical Association has dissociated itself from the ongoing health workers’ strike.

    The Chairman of Gombe State chapter of NMA, Dr. Jauro Degri, announced the body’s withdrawal at a press briefing in Gombe.

    He also said members of the public should not to panic because of the industrial action.

    He assured that medical doctors are on ground at the Federal Medical Centre in Gombe to render services to patients.

    “All outpatient clinics are going on as expected. Specialist services are going on as usual. The hospital will also continue running some emergency services,” he explained.

     

  • Corps members trained on safe delivery

    To reduce maternal deaths in Oyo State, a seminar has been organised for Corps members, who are medical doctors.

    The workshop, which was held at the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) House, Ibadan, was put together by Dr Adeyemi Oluwaseun, a Corps member and graduate of Medicine and Surgery from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    Corps members from various Local Government Areas in the state attended the seminar.

    Also at the event were officials of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) led by Mrs Oluwayemisi Otaru; the Schedule Officer, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Community Development Service (CDS) Group.

    The chairman on the occasion, Prof Adefolarin Malomo, a Neurosurgeon at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, who is the NMA chief in the state, urged the young doctors to always observe medical code of conduct whenever they practise.

    Malomo told participants to also look on maternal mortality and how they could help in their various places of assignment to save lives.

    The seminar, which was divided into five sessions, featured three guest speakers – Dr Emmanuel Olowokere, Dr Olalekan Ogunlowo and Dr Nkemdiran Jacob – who took turns to sensitise the young doctors on prevention of maternal death.

    Olowokere, who came from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UCH, spoke on Emergency Caesarian Session, Instrumental Emergency Delivery and Management of Ante-Partum and Post-Partum hemorrhages with a practical session. He demonstrated the use of anti-shock garment in other to reduce peri-partal bleeding.

    There was also a video show on how to perform an Emergency Caesarian Session and the use of vacuum extractors in performing Instrumental Vaginal Delivery.

    Ogunlowo, of the Ibadan Central Hospital, lectured the participants on the principles of safe abortion and management of complications after abortion.

    Saying the vote of thanks, Oluwaseun, a Corps member, enjoined his colleagues to practise what was learnt during the seminar to save lives and reduce mortality rate in Oyo State.

    He said: “As a development facilitator of MDGs, I have been particularly interested in the fifth goal of MDGs, which is improving maternal health. To achieve this, I decided to bring veteran medical practitioners to tutor young doctors so that we can equip ourselves with necessary skills and reach out to improve maternal health.”

     

  • NMA urges FG to hire more doctors

    NMA urges FG to hire more doctors

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on Monday in Abuja called on the Federal Government to address the problem of shortage of qualified medical doctors in government hospitals.

    The National President of the association, Dr Osahon Enabulele, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    He said that addressing the problem quackery in the health sector would eliminate the activities of unqualified medical personnel operating in the country.

    “We have acute shortage of medical manpower in Nigeria, acute in the sense that more people are leaving but the shortage has been there for years unattended and that has huge implications, because we are going to have a few specialists attending to patients coming to the teaching hospitals; and that of course that will impact on quality health care which will impact on the lives of Nigerians.

    “So, it has very immense implication because when somebody comes to the hospital that has one or two doctors attending to several hundreds of patience, he or she has to stay on the cue.

    “In the process, some would be discouraged and resort to quarks; an alternative that could lead to more complications in terms of their care.

    ”So, it is something that government needs to address by devoting more resources committedly to the recruitment of more medical personnel for the various health institutions.

    “Indeed, it will help manpower, it will help human resources in our various institutions so that there will be enough encouragement for those who are left to continue to render care and not increasingly find themselves giving up.

    ”A lot of doctors are dying because of the exhaustion they face due to the stress they go through from doing the work of several persons as a result of the shortage of qualified personnel in the industry.’’

  • Doctors won’t join strikes, NMA promises

    Doctors won’t join strikes, NMA promises

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) yesterday said doctors would no longer abandon their duty posts during strikes.

    Its President Dr Osahon Enabulele said the assocaition has put in place a surveillance to ensure strict compliance of doctors to the directive.

    Enabulele, who addressed reporters during the association’s visit to the Health Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HEWAN), said doctors who default would be penalised.

    He said the NMA would discourage strikes in the health sector, adding that the proposed strike by the Joint Health Workers’ Union should be stopped because the association is illegal and does not represent the interest of the workers.

    The union leader berated the Federal Government for endorsing international treaties that it cannot meet, especially the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), because it was not ready.

    Enabulele said: “Lack of adequate power supply, good roads and other infrastructure are factors that should be addressed before it (govt) can achieve any goal.

    “But to be realistic, Nigeria cannot achieve it because it doesn’t have the same condusive environment and manpower like some developed countries. The country can have a projection of 2030, after it must have put in place necessary measures.”

    The union leader recalled that Nigeria, at the Committee of African Heads of States meeting in Abuja in 2001, agreed in principle with other governments on the continent to devote 15 per cent of its budget to health care but only devotes about five per cent to it yearly.

  • NMA celebrates Nigerian women

    NMA celebrates Nigerian women

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has joined the rest of the world to celebrate women all over the world.

    According to NMA, women are embodiments of societal, financial, moral and spiritual values.

    Besides, NMA noted that women, apart from being the vessel for continuity of life bear the greater part of the pains and pangs of family up keep – child upbringing.

    In a statement signed by the President, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, on the occasion of 2013 Women’s day celebration noted that women are indeed, Managers-in-Chief of families.

    The statement reads in part: ‘It is worthy of note that women being the vessel for continuity of life bear the greater part of the pains and pangs of family up keep, child upbringing and are indeed, Managers-in-Chief of families as well as embodiments of societal, financial, moral and spiritual values.

    ‘NMA most remarkably saluted the unrivalled support, unfailing affection and unwavering loyalty of the Nigerian woman exemplified by Nigeria’s first lady, Her Excellency Dame Patience Jonathan and other women who have in no mean magnitude demonstrated unequivocal support and faithfulness to their spouses in various positions of authority in Nigeria.

    ‘The NMA is also quite appreciative of the nobility and grace of Nigerian medical women, who through sheer hard work and unequalled doggedness combine the arduous task of family upkeep with the doctrinal role of patiental care. NMA salutes her most treasured affiliate- the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), her leaders and entire members.

    ‘Noting that appreciating the role of women in the society should equally be backed with a whole hearted resolve to support her from various quarters and in all ways, NMA noted with delight the practical implementation of the affirmative action’s prescription of at least 35 per cent by Mr. President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR in the constitution of the Federal Executive Council.

    ‘While we bemoan the unsatisfactory female representation at the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and State Executive Councils, the association wished to use the occasion of this year’s celebration to call on the National Assembly and other legislative institutions to expedite action on all pro-women legislations currently receiving attention in order to deal with various sources of pain to the Nigerian woman. Some of these include the bill for an Act to criminalize all forms of violence against women, including Rape and Female genital mutilation; promotion of effective Maternal and Child health including Reproductive Health Rights of Women and effective immunization.

    NMA also called on authorities/Governments at all levels to do away with all discriminatory policies and hostilities against women; and to enact and implement more women-friendly ones.Worl

  • NMA seeks review of hospital management board laws

    The Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom branch, on Tuesday called on the state House of Assembly to review the laws establishing the hospitals management board in the state.

    Making the appeal in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria in Uyo, the NMA state Chairman, Dr. John Udobang, said the association was proposing law to make it statutory for a medical doctors to be appointed as chairman of the board.

    “More than 90 per cent of staff members in the hospitals management board are health personnel, so it is advisable that the board chairman should be a medical doctor.

    “In other areas like the Judiciary, the commission chairman is a professional, hence the hospitals management board should not be an exception,” Udobang argued.

    “We need the right people in the right positions to promote health care delivery in the state.

    “We are calling on the state House of Assembly and all Akwa Ibom people to support the state leadership of NMA in this lofty plan,” Udobang pleaded.

    Udobang explained that the association had earlier rejected the composition of the present board led by non-medical doctors as chairman and permanent secretary, respectively.

    “But we have also realised that there is no law stating expressly that a medical doctor be appointed the chairman, hence the need for the review of the laws setting up the place,” he said.