No, not again!

They (the doctors) said the strike is as a result of the non-implementation on the part of government on the issues raised last September. According to them, apart from reconstituting and inauguration of a governing board for the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, nothing else was implemented.
 The just-ended ASUU strike was equally disturbing and uncalled for; but it would be child’s play when compared to that of the NMA. Lives of poor and less privileged country men, women and children will be lost and when life is lost, it can’t be revived. Already, the five (5) days warning strike has caused fatalities across the nation serious enough for both the government and the NMA to seat down and resolve things the honourable way.
  The government should do all the needful on its part which of cause include respecting, proper and timely implementation of all the contending agreements reached with the doctors (if any). The doctors on their part should consider the interest of the nation and try other means to press their demands other than the strike.
  Also, the doctors should be putting the welfare of the patients ahead of their egos. Always demanding of this-or-that especially salaries/wages and or allowances alone cannot solve the problems in the health sector. As self-centred as ASUU is as many argued, they at least include among their demands the total and overall revitalisation of the education system in the country. Contrary to this NMA is always demanding for either salary increase or the maintenance of the so called “hierarchical order” in the public hospitals and health sector which will in turn ensures their retaining of supremacy.
  It is clear to us all that only the populous country masses that will suffers and not those at the helm of our affairs when the public hospital are shut down. While the former cannot afford the otherwise higher prize of the health services either at the private hospitals or abroad, the later can afford that with comfort.
  All hands should be on deck in order to salvage our country; the excessive and almost perennial strikes will only drag us down. The ball is now in the court of both the NMA and the government; we the masses are crying, the country is not ready for another strike. Please save us.

Mustapha Saddiq, Batagarawa, Katsina State, <[email protected]>;