As members of the Nigerian Medical Association commence another round of strike, patients across the nation have no compliments but condemnation for what they describe as doctors’ insensitivity. Folashade Adebayo, Femi Makinde, (Oshogbo); Success Nwogu (Ilorin); Emmanuel Obe (Asaba); Etim Ekpimah (Uyo); Oluwole Josiah (Akure); Olaleye Aluko and Emeka Obi (Lagos) report.
Ronke Adegborioye held her stomach in agony inside the premises of the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital, Lagos, Tuesday, as the persistent pains the pregnant woman had been experiencing for some time now warranted an early visit to the hospital.
But there was no doctor in sight as at 10:30am! As her husband waited at the car park, Adegborioye told one of our correspondents that her only option was a private hospital.
“Actually, I knew the strike would begin today, but I thought I would be lucky. There is no doctor to attend to patients. My case is not life-threatening and I have decided to go to a private hospital,’’ she said.
Adegborioye was not alone. Services at the tertiary hospitals in Lagos State and across the country yesterday were skeletal, though there was considerable patient traffic. While nurses got busy checking the vital signs of the patients, the general experience was that doctors stayed away.
At the General Hospitals in Somolu, Orile Agege and Alimosho, the ubiquitous crowd was present with few or no doctors to attend to them.
The conditions were not different at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. While other nurses and other support staff were seen at duty posts, it was different for doctors who had already downed tools. Except for the absence of doctors, though, the pace of activities at LASUTH did not falter.
Attempts to speak with the Chief Medical Director, Prof. David Oke were not successful, as he was said to be attending a programme. However, patients decried the latest development and the implications on their individual finances.
Patients bear the brunt
An insurance broker, Mrs. Dunsin Akinpelu, expressed disappointment at the latest development in the health sector and lamented the unnecessary fatalities that would be recorded.
“Each time doctors go on strike, it is the patients who suffer. Many people will be forced to seek treatment either at private hospitals or herbal practitioners. Many people will die as a result. I find it baffling that patients are not reckoned with in Nigeria. Why must the crisis get to this level?” she asked.

A suicide bomber, suspected to be a member of the terrorist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, early on Tuesday detonated an Impoverished Explosive Device at the popular Maiduguri Monday Market, killing no fewer than 17 persons.
Sixty-nine persons were reportedly injured in the attack.
Also in Ile-Ife, Osun State, a low-calibre bomb went off in the Onipetu area of the town around 4.00am but nobody was killed.
The Osun State police said they deactivated another bomb before it detonated.
“They were grenades of low calibre. The first one exploded and the other was defused. It happened in an isolated place, so it did not kill nor injure anybody. We have visited the scene and we are investigating the matter,” Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mr. Ibrahim Maishanu, toldThe PUNCH.
Also in Kaduna, an explosion occurred around the Asikolaye/Bakin Ruwa area, along the Kaduna western bypass, late on Tuesday.
The casualty figure was not available as of the time of this report, witnesses however said many were killed and several injured.
The explosion reportedly shattered the glass windows of some of the surrounding buildings.
The Information Officer, National Emergency Management Agency in Kaduna State, Halima Suleiman, confirmed the explosion to one of our correspondents on the telephone around 9.45pm.
The Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, Umar Shehu, confirmed the incident but said that the blast caused no death. He said only two people were injured.
Suleiman explained that the bomb was planted near a makeshift shop where provisions were sold but that it was unlikely that the casualty figure would be high since many people had gone for prayers at a nearby mosque
She said, “We don’t have any casualty figure at the moment but rescue operations are still on. Our officials on the ground said there were pieces of shattered windows. We learnt that a bomb was placed near a container shop that sells provisions.
“We were told it occurred when most people had gone to pray. I will inform you of any development later.”
The attack on the market in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, occurred at about 8.30am and was said to have affected mostly petty traders and members of the youth vigilante group, popularly called Civilian JTF, in the area.
Nine members of the vigilance group were said to have died in the attack.

In the news on radio, uniq 103:1 ara station ilesa osun state says and i quote: bomb blast in Moore ile-ife.

There was a pandemonium in the early hours of Tuesday in the ancient city of Ile-Ife in Osun state following an explosion suspected to be Improvised Explosive Devise IED that rocked the city.

It was reliably gathered that two explosive devices which were planted in two strategic locations at Agbedegbede area of the town exploded at 5.30 am, leaving residents of the area in shock and apprehension.

Although no life was lost to the explosion, it was gathered that property which are yet to be estimated were destroyed by the explosion.

The state commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Maishanu who confirmed the incident said “the explosion was a minor one and not a major explosion.”

He said the state Police command would reinforce security in all parts of the state, assuring all residents of the state to continue with thie activities peacefully.

Meanwhile, Osun state government has condemned explosion that rocked Ile-Ife, describing it as unfortunate.

The state commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere urged the people of the state to remain calm, saying that the government would not allow any threat to the peace of the state.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/explosion-rocks-ile-ife/

The Nigerian Medical Association, on Monday in Abuja, declared an indefinite nationwide strike which has been scheduled to commence today (Tuesday).
The President of the NMA, Dr. Kayode Obembe, during a press briefing on the failure of the Federal Government to address their demands and imperative of the strike, said there was no going back.
The NMA had sent 24-point demands to the government, including the discontinuation of recognition of non-medical doctors as Directors and Consultant title to any other health worker other than medical doctors.
The demands also include the appointment of a Surgeon-General of the Federation, payment of clinical duty and hazard allowances and withdrawal of the Central Bank of Nigeria circular on medical laboratory equipment.
“The NMA is taking this painful route because our silence and gentle approach to these contending issues have been taken for granted. We have to take this action in order to save the health care delivery system from anarchy that is palpably imminent. We hereby appeal to all Nigerians for their understanding and to press on the government to meet with our demands”, he stated.
Obembe stated that the failure of the government to address NMA’s demands has left the association with no other option than “to call all its members to down tool in order to press home their demands.”
Obembe said there was no way non-doctors could be allowed to function as Consultants, given that they do not oversee patients in the hospital.
He said, “A consultant is the owner of the patient; many health workers now go about acquiring Ph.D so that they can be called Doctors. The title should be restricted to only a medical doctor.”
According to him, last week’s interim injunction by the National Industrial Court has no link with the NMA as it was merely an issue between Medical and Dental Consultants Association and the government.
“Every doctor is a member of the NMA; other affiliates are allowed to operate also. We sought legal advice on the court injunction, our legal opinion is that the court order did not mention any reference to the NMA and since it did not mention NMA, we don’t want to dwell on it.”
On meetings it had with government, Obembe said, “We had a meeting with the Federal Government. We tabled our minimal demands; the government did not agree with NMA, but there is no end point. Some were referred to the court. There was no end point. While this was going on, the government was issuing out circulars favouring other health workers.”

There was panic in Ido Osun, a community in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State on Saturday following the alarm raised by residents that explosive devices were seen near the secretariat of the National Union of Teachers.
Our correspondent gathered that residents of the town vacated their houses as the news spread that explosive devices were seen beside the secretariat.
The Police Bomb Disposal Unit, who were said to have been deployed, combed the town but found nothing unusual.
A resident of the town, Mr. Toyin Agunbiade, who spoke with our correspondent in Osogbo said he had to abandon his residence in the town following the alarm about the bombs.
He said, “I left home when I heard that some people planned to bomb the town. I ran away. Yes, one can never be too careful because life has no duplicate. I have been told that it was not true. So, I will return home later tonight.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in the town, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, when contacted on the telephone said the police combed the town and did not find any explosive there.
She said, “It was a rumour. Our men from the Bomb Disposal Unit went to the town. They searched everywhere but no explosive device was found. I think they raised the alarm because a bike was abandoned close to the place.
“But I can tell you there was no explosive in the town.”
Before the incident, an explosive device was found in a bank in Osogbo on March 5.
The explosive, which was found by a customer, was later detonated by policemen.

Fayose also yesterday blasted Governor Fashola over his comments that democracy was diminished with the election of Fayose in Ekiti State.
Replying through the Director General of the Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation, AFCO, Chief Dipo Anisulowo, Fayose cautioned Fashola to refrain from insulting Ekiti people with his comments on the election.揟he governor抯 comment that Ekiti people were induced with money to vote for the Peoples Democratic Party is an insult on the entire people of Ekiti State, and we in the PDP will not take lightly to anyone insulting Ekiti people under whatever guise.�
揑t is only a hypocritical mind like Fashola that would claim that the results of an election as credible as that of last Saturday was induced by money and that Ayodele Fayose ought not to have been voted for by Ekiti people because he was standing trial for alleged corruption.�
Anisulowo, who reminded Fashola that Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Adeyemi Kuforiji was also standing trial for alleged corruption, said; 揊ashola should first remove the timber in his eyes before talking about the speck in other people抯 eyes.
揟herefore, on the Ekiti election, Ekiti people have rejected the APC and its deceitful government and elected their own governor. If Fashola and his ilk are not pleased, they should go to the tribunal instead of insulting the collective intellect of Ekiti people.�

The photograph of the governorship candidate of PDP, Mr. Iyiola Omisore, sitting on a motorbike in what appeared a stage-managed show of being with the masses has elicited a trending wave of mockery as okada riders, observers have described the photo as fake.
A member of the commercial motorbike riders in Osogbo, Kamil Olaoti, said Omisore was never known to have identified with the ordinary people before. He said it was clear that now that Omisore needs votes, he is trying to fake identifying with the people.
We have seen photo of his okada riding, that tells us that Omisore is fake. Fayose of Ekiti that he is trying to copy is naturally a street man. Omisore thinks the Ekiti magic can work in osun.
Another okada rider, Mr. Oriade Ajasa, who spoke with The Chronicle reporter at the Ota Efun area of Osogbo said it was obvious is looking for what will make him appeal to the common man. But how can he appeal to the common man when he has not been doing this before?
The leader of the commercial motorcyclist in Osogbo, Mr. Samson Egbetokun, said it shows Omisore to be confused. If he likes, go and eat booli and epa on the streets of Ilesa or Ila or Osogbo, that does not change the fact that he is not seen to be committed to the welfare of the people.
“he is fake and nothing but fake. He was senator and what did we benefit from him. He should go and tell his party riding Okada

There was pandemonium on Friday at about 2pm as the police discovered 13 explosive devices planted in a mosque in Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
The incident occurred when Muslims were preparing to observe their Jumat prayers.
The Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, Musa Majiya, told our correspondent on the phone that if the explosives had went off, it would have led to the death of no fewer than 130 people.
He said the discovery of the bombs followed a tip-off by a boy who noticed strange movements by some persons suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect.
Majiya said after conducting a thorough search at the mosque, the police discovered the explosive devices.
He, however, said one of the explosives detonated itself, but killed no one.