In a statement signed by Dr. Kayode Obembe, NMA president and Dr Adewunmi Alayaki, secretary general, the association said it was highly appalled by the state of affairs in the health care delivery system which has been reinforced by the recent ruling of the National Industrial Court.
Describing medicine and dentistry as internationally recognised noble professions, Obembe declared that the NMA was is deeply concerned with increasing number of people who die daily due to the present situation.
“We are concerned that unless decisive actions are taken NOW to allow international best practices to take root, many more avoidable deaths are in the offing as a result of the miscarriage of unionism, impunity, ignorance and lawlessness in our health institutions. Stories of staff removing life-support gadgets, switching off oxygen supply lines, electricity and water during strikes have become common. Rather than charge those concerned with murder, there is a subtle conspiracy to help perpetrators get away with their role in the strike”, he said.
Dr. Adewunmi Alayaki, NMA secretary general stated that insatiable appetite to extort and exploit the Nigerian masses leading to the phenomena of pseudo-typhoid epidemic, small hepatitis and little malaria syndromes is one handy example of what running laboratories without pathologists looks like.
He further stated that human samples are often handled without recourse to the state of health of the owner.
“It is only the pathologists that have the training and mandate to situate and connect the biological samples and the patient. Enough of mediocrity, enough of ignorance, enough of absurdity, enough of indiscipline! Laboratories that do not have permanent or visiting pathologists are to be avoided as much as possible in the interest of patients. The same applies to radiology where there are no radiologists,” he charged.
“Finally we believe that the recommendations of the Yayale Ahmed Committee on Inter-professional relationships in the public health sector should be implemented forthwith,” Alayaki appealed.
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