THIS IS DEEP! It is with a heavy heart that I write this piece for it breeds little joy to see ones house aflame with one sitting incapacitated unable to douse the simmering embers. Indeed the acrimonious atmosphere in the Nigerian health sector has finally reached a head necessitating a crippling industrial action by Nigerian Doctors under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association. Doctors do not like going on strike but alas in Nigeria that is the only language the Government understands. Even when the emoluments of House Officers and Residents in Government hospitals were denied them it took a strike just to force Government to pay Doctors their monthly salaries. Being a Doctor is not a humanitarian service thus it must not be mixed up with such organisations like the Red Cross, Save the Children or Oxfam. A Doctor is a professional who is trained in the art and science of medicine who renders a service for which he is duly paid. There in lies the dilemma. These are the issues. For years Doctors have been wrapped up in patient management and care thus failed to see the rise of an obscure amalgamation of paramedical staff under an umbrella called Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU) whose sole aim is to erode the effectiveness and power base of the Medical doctor in the Government Hospitals. Their arguments are Doctors are too proud. Indeed if this is an offense then all Doctors in the world are guilty of this. Who is not proud to be a qualified successful Medical doctor? Which parent is not proud of their child, the Doctor? Hence by extrapolation one can see that this band are not proud of their status in the hospital and want to use deception and fiat to abrogate prestige and power to themselves via apportioning titles and positions that are unearned. Now they want to wear the toga of Consultant without passing through the rigours of Medical school and Specialist training so that they can be at par with their more learned Superiors. No professional can sit by and watch aimlessly as the core foundation of their profession is eroded and reduced to a rubble of mediocrity. For The Doctor remains the head of the Medical team. That is stipulated by law and by the code of medical ethics. But alas with connivance of certain elements the Doctors powers has been eroded with the rise of Consultant Nurses who refuse Doctors to see their patients when due. The Consultant Pharmacists who cancel doctors prescriptions without consultation. The consultant Lab Scientist who diagnose Typhoid via a Widal Test that they hardly understand then goes ahead to prescribe and dispense medication at a go. Indeed this is a recipe for anarchy where by everyone now does as they like with the experimental beings caught in the crosshairs of this commotion being the unsuspecting patient who is now a non consenting guinea pig to be experimented upon by this new breed of non medical untested Consultants. Alas many say it is against the Hippocratic Oath for a Doctor to go on Strike. This is untrue. There is nowhere in that oath that such tenet is upheld. Instead the key principle backing this strike action is when faced with a dilemma DO NO HARM. It is better to leave a patient unattended to that to offer care one is not sure will be beneficial to that patient. This is clearly stated in the Hippocratic Oath. And in a situation where JOHESU members are given leeway to drive Pathologist Doctors out of their lab so that they can run their blood mafia deals and throw quality control and assurance out the window, coupled with undue detrimental actions that jeopardise patient care then it is best to stay away from the hospitals until sanity is restored. Times without number effective functioning of the hospitals have been sabotaged by JOHESU members. Many Doctors can attest to how they virtually have to move mountains just to ensure patients get the care they deserve while some of the ancillary staff put up a nonchalant attitude that is fortified by a path to do as little work as possible for maximum pay. But alas these same principalities and powers that put lodestones and other encumbrances on Doctors shoulders daily become as agile as a cat when their own relatives are involved. The lightening speed with which they institute action is breath taking and unbelievable thus we are often left flabbergasted that such mountains can be moved at such an alarming pace. Herein lies the folly of their ways. These same individuals will abrogate substandard care to others but want only the best for their kith and kin. This is a colourful form of nepotism on a grand scale that will further blunt the effectiveness of an already traumatised healthcare system. This is the crux of the matter. Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacists have always had a cordial relationship. They often intermarry across professions and their love for the practice blossoms even in the home. Alas the cat amongst the pigeons, is the lab scientist. This is the key proponent of the rancour in the health sector. For years the Lab scientist has been fighting an endless battle to be at par with the medical Doctor. This cold war has culminated in numerous defeats for the band of disgruntled lab scientists hence their thirst for power has led to the recruitment of uncommon bedfellows under the umbrella of JOHESU. They are the ones who have fed delusions of grandeur to the other paramedics but alas no matter how agile a monkey is he can never be the King of the Jungle so far the Lion still roars. Thus the lion has roared. Enough is enough of JOHESU and their Government collaborators who want to make a mockery of the medical profession to sooth their bruised egos and unfulfilled dreams. It is hard to sound dispassionate and unbiased in a feud in which one is a willing participant but when years of stepping on ones toes comes to an unwholesome head a backlash of verbose words must be expected. Doctors are not greedy for that is the common refrain of malcontented JOHESU stalwarts. From the old Hippocratic Oath it is stipulated that one should offer to train ones children in this noble profession. Thus as a Doctor there is a high standard of education one must bequest one’s children by right. How many Doctors can send their children to Ivy League schools on their Government Salary? None, thus they are forced to dabble into private practice and other activities to attain this feat they are fully aware they must achieve. And being a doctor is akin to belonging to the crème de la crème of society (no wonder the other paramedics are envious and want to take a belated short cut to “doctorship”), thus a Doctor ought to look good, dress well and drive a lovely car. Of what use is the decade wasted to become a consultant if the rewards are tattered torn jumping trousers, swear to god shoes and an old push and start jalopy? If Pastors can blaze the country in gorgeous suits, luxury cars and supersonic private jets and no one sees them as greedy as they add to their retinue of worldy prodigal possessions then why is a Doctor seen as greedy despite the fact that in the totem pole of Human endeavour they rank equal, for the Pastor/ Religious leader tends to the spiritual health of a populace while the Doctor nurtures the physical being thus they are not dissimilar. Likewise a doctor unlike all other paramedics develops an intimate relationship with their patients. They learn their habits, fears and desires. They visualise their frailties and imperfections. Hence this propels them to strive to ensure the confidence imposed in them does not come to naught. There in lies the incredulity of investing control of a patient in the hands of a person who only sees the patient as a means to sooth a beleaguered inferiority complex or as a case study to be trifled with. Indeed never before has the threat of duplicity, confusion and total anarchy threatened medical practise in Nigeria as the current tidal wave of malcontent currently ensuing. Everyone has a right to seek for better conditions of service. That is the preserve of both JOHESU and Doctors. But no one without invitation has a right to abrogate or interfere with anothers sphere of influence. Even a Doctor cannot see another Doctors patient without an invitation called a consult or referral. Only the patient has the right to seek a second opinion if not satisfied with the care the Doctor offers but JOHESU wants to crash the part as an uninvited guest whose motives are far from pure and sincere. Meanwhile the Government is guilty of dancing to the tune of JOHESU fearing their drum beats of war to the quiet diplomacy of Doctors. The Government had fair warning to avert this strike but they chose to ignore the danger signs for reasons best known to them. Instead on imbibing the belligerent ramblings of JOHESU they buckled like molten steel, bending to the whims and caprices of this anti-Medical Doctor triumvirate releasing circulars that are totally unacceptable to any Doctor in Nigeria. Now in the usual Governance-by-committee modality that has trailed this administration, the Yayale Ahmed Committee has been set up to address all the issues tabled by both the NMA and JOHESU. Once again this is a delay tactic as Government wants to sit on the fence and appear neutral in a battle that there can only be one winner. It is either JOHESU is given leeway to ruining the health system as they deem fit or Doctors are restored to their position of prestige in the health sector. There is no middle ground in this affair. The rubicorn has been crossed and thus there is no room for dialogue. Meanwhile Nigerians need to bare their minds to the powers that be. If they are enjoying the care they receive from JOHESU members who wish to be kings of the hospital in the absence of Doctors then by all means they should voice out their immense joy and satisfaction with the status quo precipitated by the NMA strike action. But if they feel that a return of Doctors to work is paramount and JOHESU relegated to their ancillary role then a cry out of desperation to the Government is imperative. It is the patient who decides who his care giver should be. So it is up to Nigerians to chose this day whom they wish to serve them. JOHESU or Doctors.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 07:14:32 +0000
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