COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE END OF THE EMERGENCY DELEGATES MEETING (EDM) HELD ON 3RD MARCH, 2007, AT ROCKVIEW HOTEL, ABUJA

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) will like to recall that at the end of the Emergency Delegates Meeting held on 10th of February, 2007 at Regency Hotel, Lagos, gave a Twenty-one (21) day ultimatum to the Federal Government of Nigeria to revert Nigerian Doctors to the Medical Salary Scale (MSS) and the Medical Salary Super Scale (MSSS) as well as withdraw the Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure (CONTISS, Ref. No. SWC/S/04/S.301/1).

The NMA is expected to embark on Total Strike from 5th of March 2007, at the expiration of the Twenty-one (21) day ultimatum. The members of NMA have been on work to rule in the past six days in line with the Twenty-one (21) day ultimatum.

After an exclusive deliberation on the issues involved in the request of the NMA, it was resolved that Nigerian Doctors still need a separate (professionalized) Salary Structure and not a modified CONTISS proposal by the Federal Ministry of Health. However, the NMA decided to extend the work to rule period by another one week and in essence postpone the Total Strike also by one week for the following reasons:

1. That the NMA considered the plight of the ordinary Nigerians who are going to suffer most if the total strike is embarked upon.

2. That as Medical Doctors who have taken oath to serve humanity, strike action should only be embarked upon as the very last resort in case of any misunderstanding.

3. That the NMA wishes to give Government another chance to peacefully resolve the issue at stake before the expiration of the One week extension. We note and hope particularly that the lukewarm attitude of the Federal Ministry of Health will change for the better during the period.

4. That the extension of the total strike action is also in recognition of the patriotic interventions of the Chairman of Boards of Tertiary Institutions in the Federal Ministry of Health, led by Professor E.A. Elebute and particularly that of Senator (Dr.) I.S. Martyns-Yellowe (MD) who actually attended the Emergency Delegates’ Meeting; apart from convening a tripartite meeting between Senate Committee on Health, federal Ministry of Health and the NMA.

5. The NMA also considered the correspondences of other well meaning Nigerians who have expressed concern on the crisis.

Finally, the NMA wishes to appeal to all well meaning Nigerians and the Federal Government to look into our demands dispassionately and accede to our request before the expiration of the extended ultimatum to avoid unnecessary suffering of Nigerians.

Dr. Dan Gana, mni President

Dr. Is’haq Abdul Secretary-General