Nope, it is not by the joint health workers. It is by our seemingly
'almighty' Association of resident doctors (ARD) in Nigeria. Yes people, doctors
are using yet again what I can describe as their only weapon. They are on strike. What are their
reasons? You can google it; you would find out alllllll their reasons. I refuse
to write them here and I refused to ask any of my doctor peeps.
Right now I am mad. I am freakingly mad. But after getting angry and
discussing the issue with some of my colleagues, I have decided that I don’t
need to waste energy on hashing out the issues that I have with their seemingly frequent strikes. The hospital where I work, the ARD members have been on strike twice
this year so this makes their third strike and guess what the year ain’t over
yet. I am expecting another one before the year is over if they ever end this
one.
After reading what their supposedly demands are, I was extremely
saddened. And when a non medical professional tried to express the
disappointment of people, someone, a doctor said and I quote ‘go and read
medicine na if you don’t like it’. Someone actually wrote such a comment on the
internet. I am so utterly disappointed.
Another statement that I read on the internet was a MBBS holder (that
is the degree that a doctor holds) said ‘I dare you to talk to any of the
medical doctor, doctor of physiotherapists and doctors of dentistry and see if
any of them will agree to marry you. These three sets of doctors are well ahead
of you and you can only talk to them from a distance’ to a journalist.
Immediately what came to my mind was ‘Animal farm by George Orwell’. The
statement of ‘All animals are equal but some are more equal to some’ (can’t
remember the exact words, I am not presently with my animal farm novel). But
the idea was that the pigs (who were ruling) were superior even though all of
them were animals in the farm. How can a human being say that to another human
being because you studied a different course? I am really hoping that the
person was seriously joking.
It saddens me because i see my doctor friends and I remember attending
secondary school/University with them, all of us gisting, laughing, attending classes, being flogged by the naval officers (for those in my secondary school) and I
absolutely refuse to believe that anyone of them would think that way. I refuse
to believe it.
However to those who have equated themselves to God and believe that
they are superior, I say please continue. I refuse to say more than that. Another
issue that makes me sad and also mad is that anytime the ARD members go on
strike, they make their interns and corp members stop work too. I once
confronted 2 of my doctor friends about that. I asked them why the house
officers/corp members were also going on strike and they claimed that they are
also members of ARD. However technically when you are employed as intern or a
corp member, you are not permitted to go on strike.
When pharmacists go on strike (rarely), we make sure that the call
units are open and run 24hours by the interns and corp members and are
supervised by the pharmacists that are management staff (Chief Pharms and
ADpharms). When I told the doctor friend, he said it is because we don’t have a
strong association and I shook my head and kept quiet.
Even if we have the strongest association in the world, I know for a
fact that pharmacists would never ever completely shut down the pharmacies. We have
been voted the best profession times without number for a reason. The reason,
we are compassionate. Speaking for myself, I love what I do and it is not about
money. I always try to put myself or my family in the position of the patients.
I try to do the best I can do within the rules set so that I can help the patient
to the best of my ability and not put myself in trouble. I am in a state that
is far from home and it is not money that made me stay back after NYSC, it was
the fact that I loved what I do here despite the insult i receive (just had a doctor insult the life out of me right now but i don't mind). And I would still enjoy my job until God
says it is time for me to move higher.
I absolutely think it is morally wrong for the doctors to include the
house officers and corp doctors in their strike!! I know by writing this article I am going to
get a lot of comments and probably hate from some people but I don’t care. I think people should stand for what is right. I am
not going to talk about the demands that are being made because right now I couldn’t
care less. But I would talk about the fact that there seems to be a lack of
moral sense with the way things are been done. No amount of reasons can justify
that action.
How can people be so mean? Consultants are now running the hospitals
with medical students (which is good but could backfire on the doctors in
future). I know that for some months now the interns have not been paid but it
is not only the house officers that have not been paid. I know it can be
annoying but I know that things would be solved.
I just hope for a future when the doctors when requesting for
something wouldn’t always result to strike. Funny growing up, I never heard of
doctors or health workers going on strike. Oh yeah, just remembered the military
was in power and no one could dare try it.
Reading some articles in some newspaper publications showed that the
public is beginning to lose faith in doctors and even though it is God that
heals I believe having the confidence that your doctor is interested in your
well being helps in the healing process too.
For the sake of my future generation, I plea to all doctors in
Nigeria, don’t ridicule the medical profession. Fight for things that matter
and not for things that don’t make sense after a while. Rededicate yourselves
to what you swore to and remember why you wanted to be a bachelor of medicine,
bachelor of surgery holder.
After all that has been said, I say that it is well with the
healthcare sector of Nigeria. On a lighter note, since they have decided to sit
at home, work load is lighter since it is only the consultants that are working
so I am able to read more than before. I don’t get home so tired anymore and I have
more energy to read. Hey, it is all about turning lemons to lemonade right?
Sorry guys about this post but I think this would be last I ever talk
about doctors on this blog. Now I don’t promise not to critic their fashion
sense on my fashion blog though (http:medicsfashion.blogspot.com), hey it is a
fashion blog for medics I should be allowed.
Thanks for reading guys. I am seriously expecting looooadssss of
comments.
Luv ya,
Petite Diva.
P.S: Today was a sad day. Another plane crashed in Lagos and almost 16
people died. The worst part is that they were carrying the remains of a past
governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Agagu. When I got the news, it didn’t quite
hit me until a couple of hours later. God is our only protector. To think I traveled
by air for almost 12 hours this year and I am alive to write this. It is all
God. If you are alive to read this, please say a word of thanks to God because
you didn’t do anything to deserve him sparing you life, he just did. May their
souls rest in perfect peace, Amen.
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