FG To Privatise 6 Public Hospitals

The federal government says it has selected six public hospitals that it wants to cue into its public-private partnership (PPP) programme.

The minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu stated this yesterday when a delegation of the General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria and the Guild of Medical Directors visited him in Abuja.

He said, “For now, the government has mapped six hospitals where it wants to do PPP, so we want to encourage you to key into this.”

Chukwu said that there are areas where the government would continue to provide services in the hospitals but hopes that the private sector would key into it. ‘Now more than ever, the federal government’s policies are encouraging private sector investment.

The minister used the occasion to appreciate all medical personnel working in the private sector saying, ‘We want to appreciate you for insuring the health of Nigerians ever since the doctors in public hospitals have being on strike.”

He said that hopefully, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) will call-off their strike soon.

‘We mourn all Nigerians who have lost their lives to Ebola Virus Disease and indeed, one of your own, Dr Stella Adadevoh. Her bravery and courage will not go unnoticed. Very soon, I can assure you, the appropriate thing will be done to immortalise her memory,” the minister said.

Responding, the national president of Association of General and Private Practitioners, Dr Frank Odafen said, “The only problem we have had is that government policies have not really embraced private practitioners.”

Odafen said the government has not equipped them in the current fight against Ebola Virus Disease in terms of ‘armoury of war’.

‎Nigeria doctors commence ‘total and indefinite’ strike, Tuesday – NMA President

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, on Monday announced plan to embark on an indefinite strike, starting from Tuesday, July 1.

The NMA President, Kayode Obembe, who made the announcement at a news conference in Abuja, said the decision followed the expiration of a two-week ultimatum it gave the Federal Governmentto meet its 24-point demand.Mr. Obembe, said the association opted for a “total and indefinite strike” at an emergency delegates meeting held on June 28, after negotiations with the federal government failed to yield relevant results.

“The NMA is taking this painful route because our silence and gentle approach to these contending issues have been taken for granted,” he said.


“We have to take this action in order to save the health care delivery system from anarchy that is palpably imminent.”

He appealed for understanding, and called on Nigerians to prevail on the government to meet the demands.

The NMA president read out an open letter addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in which the association listed the 24 ssues it wanted the government to address.

The letter, entitled, “Minimum End Point for Restoration of Sustainable Sanity in Patient Care in Nigerian Hospitals’’, was jointly signed by Mr. Obembe, NMA Secretary-General, Adewumi Alayaki,and all heads of its affiliate bodies.

Some of the major issues include reserving the position of chief medical director to only medical doctors, appointment of Surgeon General of the Federation, passage of National Health Bill and providing security for doctors.


The NMA also wants “increase in duty, hazard and specialist allowances, as well as budget for residency training programme”.

It called for the reintegration of its members into the IPPIS platform, and reserving the title of consultants to only medical doctors, among others.(NAN)

Source: Premium Times

Residents Doctors’ Warning Strike Commences

Patients at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, are stranded as the doctors there enforced the strike.

In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Resident Doctors of the Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba joined their colleagues nationwide in the ongoing 3-day warning strike.

A visit to the hospital revealed that although the resident doctors have withdrawn their services as directed by the national body, the action seemed not to be having much impact as nurses and consultants attended to patients.

Attempts to speak with the union leaders and management of the hospital proved abortive as they said they were not willing to speak on this development.

In Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, the strike was in force also,but the Spokesperson of the National Hospital, Dr Tayo Haastrup,said that the welfare package of resident doctors can be negotiated with the Federal Government without putting the lives of teeming Nigerians at stake.

Resident Doctors at the Federal Medical Centre, in Owo, Ondo State also joined their counterparts across the country.

Channels Television was at the hospital to monitor the situation at the hospital. Though our crew was not allowed into the wards by the security officials at the hospital, there activities to indicate that other health workers in the hospital were at work.

We had an interview with the Chairman, Association of Resident Doctors in the hospital, Raymond Omotayo who highlighted the demands of the association from the federal government, noting that if the demands are not met by July 1, 2015, the Doctors will be forced to embark on an indefinite strike action.

All our efforts to speak with the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Femi Omotosho proved abortive as he was said to be out of the state and other senior officers in the hospital were not willing to speak to our correspondents.


Resident doctors in Rivers State were not left out in the strike as Channels Television visited the Braithwaithe Memorial Specialist Hospital in Port Harcourt, where patients were seen waiting to see doctors that were not available.

Source: Channels TV