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No Hospital Can Boast Of 2000 Beds – NMA Laments

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The General Secretary of the NMA, Dr. Philips Ekpe, in an interview on Monday lamented that no Federal hospital can boast of 2000 beds, adding that the NMA had yet to declare strike.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has said that the Federal Government can stop its planned strike if it meets its demands and those of its affiliate groups such as the residence doctors.

The umbrella body of medical professionals in Nigeria said the ultimatum it issued to the Federal Government did not necessarily translate into declaring industrial action.

FG Rejects 21-Day Ultimatum Issued By NMA

The General Secretary of the NMA, Dr. Philips Ekpe, in an interview on Monday lamented that no Federal hospital can boast of 2000 beds, adding that the NMA had yet to declare strike.

Eko Hot Blog had reported that the association, after its National Executive Council meeting in Benin City, Edo State, issued a 21-day notice to the Federal Government.

In the statement issued on Saturday, the umbrella body of medical doctors noted that the Federal Government had not met the demands of resident doctors who began strike on August 2.

In his reaction, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said the 21-day notice negated the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government.

The General Secretary of the NMA “We have not even said we are going on strike. The government needs to understand that sometimes when you give ultimatum, at the end of the ultimatum, you review the situations on ground. If everything is okay, you call off whatever plan you have on ground.

“Ultimatum is like saying ‘this is the timeline for which we are going to reassess every demand that we gave you before we take another action.’ If things done are not adequate, decisions will be taken.

“The decision to go on strike will be taken by the NMA NEC. If they fail to meet demands, decisions will surely be taken.

“The Federal Government invited us to mediate in the issues with MEDSABAMS and NARD. When NARD called for a strike, the government took them to the National Industrial Court, there was no room for negotiation.

He said “We have not even said we are going on strike. The government needs to understand that sometimes when you give ultimatum, at the end of the ultimatum, you review the situations on ground. If everything is okay, you call off whatever plan you have on ground.

“The decision to go on strike will be taken by the NMA NEC. If they fail to meet demands, decisions will surely be taken.

The NMA scribe also lamented the poor state of the nation’s health sector.

According to him, Nigeria does not have hospitals that can boast of 2,000 bed facilities.

Ekpe said, “The statistics in the ranking of health care shows that Nigeria is 187 out 191. We are four from the last. We are only better than Sudan.

“If our health care system is doing well, will doctors be leaving the country? Human resources is very good but our facilities are bad. We don’t have hospitals that can boast of 2,000 beds in Nigeria.

“We work with archaic equipment here. I give kudos to private hospitals who are doing well.”

Bada Amoo