NMA expresses worry over impending withdrawal of accreditation of ABSUTH by NUC
From: Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The strike embarked upon by Abia state doctors over the nonpayment of salaries by Abia state government has entered its 54th day without any end in sight.
This is even as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed worry over impending withdrawal of accreditation of Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba by National Universities Commission (NUC).
In a statement signed by its chairman,
Dr Abali Isaiah and secretary, Dr Ekeleme Daniel, NMA Abia branch urged the state government to address the problem and save the Abia state public deaths and medical complications arising from the impasse.
While informing that every efforts it has made so far for the government and their representatives to change the narrative has not yielded any fruit, NMA said it was disheartening that government could allow the strike to continue as “if doctors lives does not matter”.
NMA recalled with pain the withdrawal of accreditation by the MDCN that presently excludes Abia state university from admitting students into the college of medicine.
“Of note also is the impending withdrawal of accreditation by the NUC thereby foreclosing medical school training in Abia State University.
“Worse still, students presently admitted in various academic levels in the medical school would not be able to graduate.
“Of note equally is that in the past right years, no discernible medical /surgical consultant has been employed in the ABSUTH, resident doctors and house officers all over the country avoid ABSUTH as a plague due to the profound underdevelopment of the hospital and nonpayment of salaries.
With the possible retirements of the aging doctors in ABSUTH without replacement it is expected that this former great facility that has produced great medical professionals all over the world would die a natural death”, NMA said.
They regretted that many of the doctors concerned, having been owed upward of 26 months salary arrears, have not been able to pay their house rents prompting different types of embarrassments from landlords, even as they said some of them borrowed money to send their wards back to school.