Doctors, students, protest mass sack of resident doctors (Photos)

Medical doctors, students, consultants converged at the Lagos University Teaching hospital, (LUTH), Idi Araba, today to protest the recent sack of 16,000 resident doctors by the Federal Government. The protest was led by the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Dr. Tope Ojo.

The doctors said their strike was never about an increase in their salary, that all they were fighting for was for better structures and equipment in hospitals across the country. See more photos after the cut

Alex Perry on Nigeria’s Boko Haram

With its violence, its ritualized executions, its mixture of the utterly archaic with AK-47s and YouTube videos, its behavior modeling based on a nineteenth century interpretation of an obscure medieval Islamic theologian—Boko Haram is hard for us to get our minds around.

Therefore, many of us fall back on seeing it as a form of al-Qaeda and a part of its international terrorist movement, rather than the product of populist rage against a corrupt government that has marginalized northeast Nigeria.

In terms of understanding Boko Haram, Alex Perry has done a service for the educated, non-specialist reader. A journalist now at Newsweek and the former Time editor for Africa, he published a long article, entitled “Boko Haram: Terror’s Insidious New Face,” in last week’s Newsweek. He also recently published an e-book, The Hunt for Boko Haram: Investigating the Terror Tearing Nigeria Apart. He appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air on July 16, where he gave a long interview to Terry Gross. A full recording and transcript are available online.

Taken altogether, there is a trove of rich understanding here, and his style is very plain speaking—he characterizes the Nigerian army as the country’s “biggest criminal enterprise,” for example. There is so much here that for a blog post I will take only an example or two. In all three of his works, he highlights the paradox of the international (and Nigerian) “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign. Meant primarily to provoke a strong government response, the campaign has instead provided Boko Haram with previously unimaginable notoriety. So from Boko Haram’s perspective, it worked.

I do not agree with everything Perry says. I do not think that Shekau is mad, and I think Boko Haram is much more than ignorant, inarticulate, and nihilistic teenagers. But he has written so much that is illuminating that I hope he has a wide audience. He is absolutely policy relevant.

For example, he writes that Islamist radicalization is spreading across the Sahel, stating “that’s an extremely alarming analysis but I think it’s fairly alarmist as well. There is no doubt that these groups have some sort of communication and occasionally share personnel. But the idea that they’re in any way operating as a coordinated group—well there is no evidence for that at all.” He goes on to emphasize the local focus of the various groups and their lack of capacity for international operations.

On that point we agree. Seeing Boko Haram as the new front of the war on international terrorism, with echoes of 9/11 and the Twin Towers, does not help.

Ongoing Strike not meant to Punish Masses - NMA

The Nnewi branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has said that the ongoing industrial action was not meant to punish the masses and appealed to Nigerians to understand their predicament.

Dr Joseph Ugbaja, the branch Chairman of the association, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday at Nnewi.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the strike is a struggle in which all and sundry will benefit from, once the right thing is done in the health sector.”

He expressed worry over what he termed “medical tourism abroad by Nigerians,” saying that it had resulted to serious capital flight.

“The countries where affluent Nigerians rush to for medical treatment can boast of right the equipment, adequate training, and conducive operational environment for the health personnel.

Nigerian Doctors' Strike Selfish, Illegal And Unethical Say Nurses

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has described the ongoing nationwide strike by members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) as selfish, unethical and illegal, reports the Lagos-based Daily Independent newspaper. NANNM also alleged that the strike was a well calculated and orchestrated plan by the doctors to divert patients to their private clinics to milk them of their hard earned resources. NANNM stated this in a statement by its General Secretary, Yusuf- Badmus, in Abuja on Sunday.

The group advised the Federal Government to "stop all government employed doctors from establishing private clinics for the benefit of the citizens of this nation while still in government employment".

According to the nurses, "They should be called to order because their incessant strike is a gimmick to further divert innocent patients to their private clinics where they (doctors) stand to benefit." "The government should have a rethink on the undue attention they give them and do what is right." "The government should revert to the era when administrators administered the hospitals/health facilities while health professionals, including doctors do their professional duties that they are being paid for."

The group further advocated that all government health workers should have unified salary scales. "Difference should be entry/exit points and professional/peculiar allowances of the different cadres of workers. "This will go a long way in checking and preventing unhealthy rivalry and end to the incessant strike action, that leaves the innocent patient to suffer."

The nurses, therefore, encouraged patients to attend and patronise the hospitals despite the current strike. This, according to them, is because "other health professionals such as skilled midwives, the accident and emergency (A & E) nurses, intensive care nurses, orthopaedic nurses paediatric nurses, including the medical laboratory scientists, medical record officers, the radiographers, the physiotherapists and pharmacists, are on ground to attend to their health needs, even when the medical practitioners embark on their selfish and illegal strike; selfish in the sense that they are using the strike to force the Federal Government to stop the implementation of agreements and memorandum of understanding reached between JOHESU/APHA and Federal Government spanning between 2009 to date".

The nurses again condemned what they described as "the unethical behaviour or practice of medical practitioners whereby in-patients are compulsorily discharged against their wish whenever NMA calls for industrial action." "NMA does this to make it appear to the public and the press that the patients left the hospital because doctors are on strike. "The public at large must be made to know that most in-patients are in the hospital for comprehensive healthcare (physical and psychological) and are being taken care of by the nurses and other health professionals, except those that have been booked for surgical procedures or surgical operation. "The medical practitioner, therefore, has no moral or ethical justification to compulsorily force them (in-patients) out of the hospital to make the hospital empty because doctors are on strike," NANNM insisted.

But while the nurses were tongue-lashing the doctors, the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) under the leadership of Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State called on the NMA to end its current strike for the sake of the lives the doctors have sworn to save.

In a statement released in Abuja at the weekend by Secretary of the Forum, Osaro Onaiwu, Jang begged the leadership of the NMA to remember their Hippocratic oath "as the strike is devastating the lives of the poor in our nation who can only afford medical care in government owned medical facilities".

The statement reminded the striking doctors that their friends and families are not immune from the effects of the strike, as anybody can fall ill or be involved in an emergency at anytime and anywhere in the country. The statement then called on the doctors to end the strike on humanitarian grounds and engage in honest dialogue with the Federal Government to stop the pain and suffering being inflicted on Nigerians by their action.

PUBLIC HEALTHNEWS

Doctors' Strike - Private Hospitals, Herbalists Rip-Off Patients

Abuja — Following the strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which has paralysed activities in government health facilities in the country, private hospital operators are taking advantage of the situation to extort patients, Saturday Independent findings have revealed.

The strike by the NMA is almost three weeks old now.

Findings by Saturday Independent revealed that the strike by the NMA has led to high patronage of the private hospitals by patients.

A visit to some private hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its satellite towns showed high presence of patients at the facilities.

The situation has also led to increased patronage of traditional medicine dealers by some patients, especially the poor, who cannot afford the exorbitant charges in private hospitals.

A private hospital operator in Masaka, a satellite town close to the FCT, confirmed to Saturday Independent that since the strike began, there has been an upsurge in the number of patients visiting her clinic.

The owner of Bold Step Clinic, Masaka, Victoria Umbugadu, responding to inquiries by Saturday Independent, said: "I must confess to you that since the strike started the number of patients we get has doubled.

"Before the strike, we used to attend to less than 30 patients in a day but now our record shows that we get no fewer than 65 patients a day.

"The strike has really exposed the high poverty level in the country. People usually go to government hospitals that are relatively cheap and get treatment almost free but now they have to pay higher charges, which most times they pay in instalments because they cannot afford to pay at once.

"The doctors must think twice and call off this strike because poor people are suffering. Some people who cannot afford our charges resort to patronizing traditional medicine practitioners."

A visit to Safron Hospital in Mararaba showed that the number of patients that visit the facility has increased compared to what it was before the strike.

A nurse at the hospital told Saturday Independent: "The number of our patients has increased since the beginning of the strike. Even though we are not happy about the strike, I must tell you that the income we now generate in the hospital daily has doubled.

"Before the strike, we used to get not up to 60 patients in a day but now, we attend to close to 100 patients. Because of the increase in the number of patients, our medical director has brought in some doctors to assist till the strike ends."

A visit to Garki Hospital, a private facility, also showed a remarkable increase in the number of patients to the hospital.

A worker in the records office of the hospital who pleaded anonymity confirmed this to Saturday Independent at the hospital premises on Thursday, saying: "Even though our charges here are high compared to those of some hospitals in the capital city, the number of patients patronising us has increased since the strike started."

On whether this has also increased the income generated by the hospital, she said: "Yes. It is natural, the more the patients the more the income. But most times, some poor patients, get stranded here and are assisted by the hospital management to offset their bills."

However, a medical consultant at the National Hospital who refused to mention his name noted that the strike by the doctors has successfully paralysed activities in the hospital.

"We are doing nothing here. As consultants, you know there is a limit to what we can do. We cannot operate fully without the doctors. They are a very important part of the hospital chain, so working without them is terrible. There is no way we can operate very well unless they are back," he said.

Similarly a pharmacist at the Wuse General Hospital said the strike has crippled all aspects of the hospital, adding; "We are not doing anything. What can we do without the doctors? As far as I am concerned, health services are at a standstill in government hospitals. Let us not deceive ourselves."

In an interview with Saturday Independent, a traditional medicine practitioner in Kado in the FCT, Abdulrauf Bode, said the number of patients patronising him has also increased.

"Many people are coming to get medicine from us. Some people don't have money to go to private hospitals, so, they come here and we help them with herbs," he said.