Ex-NMA Boss Reacts To Doctors Sack

Dr. Osahon Enabulele, the immediate past president of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, and current Vice Chairman of the West Africa Region of the Commonwealth Medical Association, has condemned the recent sack of sixteen thousand resident doctors nationwide by the Federal Government.

Enabulele said President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision was not only unsustainable but unstatesmanly and illadvised also condemned the decision government decision to suspend Residency Training Programme, RTP.

Dr. Osahon Enabulele, Former NMA President

The former NMA boss, who made this known in a statement, a copy obtained by the National Mirror said, the decision was unproductive as it could aggravate the crisis already in the country’s health sector.
According to him, the development obviously shows that political office holders do not learn from history.
Below is an excerpt from the statement:

“I am most appalled by the use of an extreme, unwarranted and retrogressive measure by the present Federal Government, especially at this time of public health emergency when members of the NMA across the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory are visibly in the field, contributing their quota towards the containment of the Ebola virus disease outbreak, irrespective of the non-provision of Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, and a miserable hazard allowance of N5,000 per month.

“The negative consequences of this government decision are unimaginable. For one, the current poor health indices of Nigeria will further nose-dive, especially on account of the immense dearth of skilled medical manpower in Nigeria.

“Currently, Nigeria has an abysmal doctor-patient population ratio of 1: 6,300. With this action of government, the ratio will further decline to about 1:15,500.

“Nigeria has less than 3,000 specialist medical and dental practitioners (consultants) providing specialist medical and dental care to over 170m Nigerians.
“The deficit in health human resource caused by the intense brain drain that followed the reckless proscription of NMA and NARD by the General Muhammadu Buhari regime in 1985 is yet to be surmounted.

“This action of government will certainly worsen the brain drain phenomenon, widen the gap in health human resource, and further weaken Nigeria’s fragile health system” the statement read.
Enabulele therefore urged the President to reconsider its stand and listen to the voices of the people.
Meanwhile, in a reaction to the development which has attracted a lot of criticism from many concerned Nigerians, the Nigerian Medical Association current president, Dr Kayode Obembe, on August 16, 2014, in Abuja organized a press briefing demanding that the federal government should withdraw the sack order and the suspended Residency Training Programme, RTP.   

It would be recalled the the federal government on August 14, 2014, sacked sixteen thousand resident doctors nationwide and suspended Residency Training Programme, RTP.