Ebola: Nigeria doctors in crisis

As Nigeria declared a national emergency over Ebola Virus on Friday, the association of local medical doctors which should lead the fight against the disease which has so far claimed two lives is enmeshed in fresh crisis.

Ironically, the crisis which is now threatening to tear apart the association of medical doctors known as the Nigeria Medical Association is also Ebola induced!

The NMA which has been on strike before Nigeria recorded its first case of Ebola announced yesterday that it had called off its strike in response to appeals for members of the association to return to work to help the country tame the raging virus.

The NMA had through a statement signed by its President, Dr. Kayode Obembe, on Thursday announced that the five-week nationwide strike had been called off effective from Wednesday night.

The association said it called off the strike to enable its members help alleviate the hardship the frequent terror attacks is putting on the people as well as the recent outbreak of Ebola, brought into Lagos by a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who is now dead.

However, some of his colleagues countered the statement, saying the statement does not reflect the decision taking at the meeting in Abuja where the strike was reviewed and therefore, insisted that the strike must continue.

Concerned about the attitude of his colleagues to the outbreak of in the country, Dr. Obembe on Friday tendered his resignation letter as the President of NMA.

Dr. Obembe, said in the letter that he took the option of resignation because he could not compromise his “honour and integrity.”

The letter dated 8 August 2014 and titled “CLARIFICATION” reads in full:

“There has been a request for clarification about the two postings from the NMA secretariat on the NMA blog.

“I want to make it categorically cleared that I stand by the very letter of the document that I signed- “THAT THE STRIKE WAS SUSPENDED”.

“And since upon my INTEGRITY AND HONOUR, I cannot continue to drive the doctrine that “STRIKE CONTINUES”, I hereby tender my letter of resignation as NMA President.