Hehe...this strike sef.......The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD) held her
Emergency National Executive Council Meeting (E-NEC) on the 22nd of June, 2015
at the Auditorium of National Trauma Centre, Abuja. The meeting which was
hosted by the National Hospital Abuja branch of NARD had in attendance
delegates from various centres across the Country.
OBSERVATIONS:
There are circulars and directives from the Federal Government for
implementation of all agreements as it affects both Doctors and non-doctors in
all hospitals from the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (Ref No.
HCSF/EPO/EIR/63755/TI/195) dated 19th Dec. 2013 and from FMOH (Ref. NO.
C.3884/vol.1 dated Dec. 19th, 2013).
Federal Tertiary/Health Institutions are selectively implementing such
directives for non-doctors while excluding medical and dental practitioners.
That there are adequate additional funds appropriated in the 2015
personnel cost of all Federal Tertiary/ Health Institutions.
The FMOH through the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Linus Awute convened a
meeting with NMA, NARD and committee of CMDs/MDs and made it copiously clear in
a letter written to NARD dated 8th June, 2015 that pending the determination of
the appeal, all hospitals with such funding window should go ahead and make
payments for skipping in order to maintain industrial harmony in our various
hospitals, especially as it concerned NARD branches.
The committee of CMDs through an extract dated 4th June and signed by
Drs Peter Alabi and Angela Uwakwem, directed all hospitals including those that
have the means and had started implementing the FG directives to stop payment
as it relates to medical and dental practitioners, and this is observed to be a
calculated attempt to generate a nationwide withdrawal of services against the
FG that had already done the needful.
The committee of CMDs have cited inadequate funds for paying doctors
their full entitlements; but NARD has observed that in most hospitals where
there are crises, it is mainly due to misapplication and poor management of the
personnel funds in the hospitals by doing some or all of the following:
Paying promotions and annual increments inappropriately.
Employment of ad-hoc staff without following due process.
Use of personnel cost for overhead purposes and capital projects.
Payment of undeserving allowances such as call duty, shift duty,
teaching allowances to administrative staff and inappropriate payment of
overtime allowances to undeserving staff from the personnel cost.
Payment of outsourced services from funds meant for staff salaries.
Inappropriate paying of Locum/Contract and visiting staff from the
personnel cost while denying the primary workers their due entitlements. This
action amount to gross casualization of the Medical/Dental profession with a
consequent effect of compromising quality healthcare delivery.
NARD also observes that there was a spurious personnel cost budget
proposal from the hospitals which were over bloated. It is therefore alarming
that the various hospitals are still insisting that their proposals, though
clearly out of proportion, are the true reflection of the required funds.
NARD observes that State Tertiary/Health Institutions are yet to benefit
from adjusted CONMESS(Relativity and Skipping) despite the universal
applicability of the agreement between Doctors and the Federal Government
in 2014.
NARD also observes that there are on-going strike actions by member
branches against most hospital managements that refused to comply and implement
the Federal Government directives despite having adequate funds. Therefore the
public should hold the CMD/MD’s responsible for the untoward effects of such
strikes.
NARD keenly observes that some CMDs and MDs are diligently complying and
respecting Federal Government directives and circulars as it affects both
doctors and non-doctors and as such there is industrial harmony in such
hospitals. The actions of such CMD/MD’s are highly commendable.
The committee of CMDs led by Dr. Peter Alabi and Dr. Angela Uwakwem have
been making personal phone calls to MDs and CMDs of various hospitals
persuading them not to obey and comply with the Federal Government circulars
and directives as it affects doctors, with the sole intention of creating
industrial disharmony in the hospitals.
NARD is strongly disturbed that the same committee of CMDs through Dr.
Peter Alabi, last year wrote a letter to all CMD/MD’s to stop implementing
Federal Government directives, an action which later led to the avoidable 50
days strike action embarked upon by the NMA and NARD. This same trend can be
observed to be unfolding again.
RESOLUTIONS:
NARD is not on strike against the new government of positive change and
NARD is NOT going to declare a nationwide strike against the FG as requested by
some Chief Medical Directors (CMDs).
In the hospitals where non-doctors are skipped, doctors also must be
skipped in accordance with the signed MOUs and directives from the Federal
Government. Doctors will not agree to any selective implementation of any
directive under any pretext from any hospital management, as such NARD chapters
in hospitals where such injustices are meted out to doctors shall continue to
insist on justice in order to restore industrial harmony.
NARD is calling on the Federal Government to quickly capture all cadres
of staff within the hospitals into the IPPIS platform with immediate effect
including all medical doctors.
NARD is calling for immediate forensic personnel Audit of all staff in
all Federal/State tertiary hospitals and health institutions starting with
those hospitals currently on strike in order to ascertain the true personnel
strength and the actual funds required.
We call on the Federal Government to look into the personnel proposals
presented by all hospitals for 2015 budget to determine the immediate and
remote intent for such meretricious proposals in personnel cost and any
hospital found to have any form of corrupt tendencies, its management should be
sanctioned appropriately. NARD is for positive change and NARD is saying NO to
any form of corruption.
NARD concludes that the strike actions in some hospitals is as a result
of gross incompetence, misappropriation, maladministration, discrimination,
administrative corruption and indiscipline on the part of the hospital
managements and it is also a hatchet plan to set Nigerian Doctors against the
new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari by instigating NARD or NMA to
declare a nationwide strike so that the government will be pressured to attend
to their spurious claims of shortfall in 2015 personnel cost.
NARD wishes to work closely with the present Government to sanitize the
system of any form of corruption and improve the quality of healthcare delivery
to the Nigerian populace so as to curtail the menace of overseas medical
tourism that is now destroying our national economy.
NARD resolves that the payment of 10 months arrears of 2014 to be made
directly from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) to
individual beneficiaries by working closely with the NMA remuneration committee
as we can’t trust most of the hospital managements in making such payments
without creating unnecessary rancour.
APPRECIATIONS
The NARD appreciates the overwhelming support and hospitality of the good
people of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Special thanks goes to the
Chief Medical Director of National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Jeff Momoh and his
entire management team as well as all delegates for committing their time and
resources in ensuring that the NARD E-NEC in June 2015 became a success. NARD
is also grateful to members of Association of Resident Doctors, NHA for the
successful hosting of the E-NEC.
Dr. Prince Dan-Jumbo President 2014/15
Dr Daniel Gbujie Secretary General 2014/2015National Asssociation of
Resident Doctors E-NEC Communique
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