NMA, FG in Counterclaims over Doctors' Strike

Paul Obi and Kasim Suimana            
      
As pressure mounts on the Nigerian Medical Association, (NMA) to call off its five days strike, the Federal Government yesterday said it has met its side of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in all agreements it reached with the association, stressing that there was no need for the doctors to continue with the strike action.

However, the striking Doctors said though there were meeting where some agreements were reached and points noted, they were not yet sure when the strike would be called off as they had to present the report of the meeting to their emergency delegate meeting which has the power to take the decision.
Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu told journalists in Abuja Friday, that the continuation of the strike contradicted agreements already met in view of the 24 demands put up by the NMA.

Chukwu told journalist that "you will recall that a few weeks ago, NMA served notice of a nationwide strike to commence on the 1st of July, 2014 on the basis of what it termed a 24-Point Demand. On receipt of this notice the Federal Government held a meeting with the association on 25th June, 2014.
At the end of the meeting chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, with the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity, the Honourable Minister of State for Health, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and other senior government officials in attendance and which lasted for fourteen hours, both the government and the NMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which addressed all the 24 issues presented by the NMA."

The Minister further explained that, "Almost all the issues in contention were either issues that had been satisfactorily resolved or issues that could be treated merely through administrative mechanism. The signed MoU was to have apprehended the nationwide strike that was threatened by the association. However, the Nigerian Medical Association jettisoned the MoU and proceeded on strike on the 1st of July 2014.