…as medical elders brainstorm on health sector crisis
As elders in the medical profession assembly to find lasting solutions to crisis in the health sector, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, has asked doctors in the country to be humble and carry themselves with dignity, rather than trying to play God or compete with God.
Ngige, who spoke at the 2nd Summit of Medical Elders Forum (MEF) with the theme, ‘Medical Profession: a Look into the Past, Present and Future,’ on Thursday in Abuja, expressed concerns that the medical profession was in danger.
While querying reasons why doctors tend to embark on strike more when their colleagues were holding critical government positions and why other professions tend to envy this as alleged, he stressed it was time for doctors to critically analyse their attitudes and tell themselves the truth.
He said: “At no time in the history of NMA and the medical association am I seeing our association and our profession in danger as I an seeing now. Many people will not see it but from where I am sitting and standing, I can see danger ahead.
“We are one of the oldest profession on earth metamorphosing from natural and traditional healers to take away pain from people and consequentially save lives. We don’t create lives, God creates we only preserve people’s lives through the act of God. In doing so, God has given us some powers and those powers are near his own to create.
“But there is something God does not want, God does not want when he gives you powers you use it to try to say that you are like him or you are competing with him. God loves you to do that which he has asked you to do; to use that power with humility.”
Ngige added: “Doctors should ask themselves questions; why is it that is when your colleagues are in government that you go on the greatest number of strikes. Some of these colleagues were Presidents, Secretary Generals of NMA and even NARD.
“Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Dr. Isaac Adewole faced plenty of strikes, since our government came I have consolidated four strikes something is wrong. We need to ask ourselves some questions and be straightforward with the answers
“We must start by telling ourselves the truth. You say they dislike doctors what did you do while they disliked you? Yes there is peer envy, yes some wanted to study medicine and they couldn’t we know it and if you know it, you carry yourself with dignity and humility.”
Earlier, the President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Prof. Innocent Ujah, had said a good number of people within and outside the health sector were envious of doctors, without appreciating the tedious academic process of becoming a doctor.
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