Abandoning Your Patients to Embark on Strike Is Unethical, Obasanjo Tells Doctors

  • The present challenge in the medical industry includes manpower, brain drain, the general welfare of members and insecurity.
  • Obasanjo calls for the resuscitation of the old central medical store system to boost the availability of drugs in the country.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged medical practitioners in the country to consider their patients’ plight before embarking on strike.

Obasanjo appealed to them at the opening ceremony of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMD) National Executive Council meeting in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital.

The former president, who was the Father of the Day at the occasion, urged the practitioners to take patients’ condition more paramount in their quest for better welfare.

READ: Your Opinion Can’t Be Taken to Be The Truth, Presidency Tells Obasanjo

Stating his position, Obasanjo who described it as a significant issue said since the care for their patient is a major ethical issue of their profession, abandoning them to go on strike is even more unethical.

He urged them to instead fashion another way to show their displeasure and not doing so at the expense of your patients.

Speaking further, Obasanjo, also called for the resuscitation of the old central medical store system to boost the availability of drugs in the country.

While noting that such was the situation in the past during the Western region, he wondered what has happened now.

“If we don’t, maybe this is time to return to it or have something near it, which will bring efficiency and affordability to our drug chain system,” he said.

A representative of the Ogun State Government, Tokunbo Talabi corroborated Obasanjo as he called for caution on industrial actions.

While noting that there are alternatives for taxi drivers, Okada drivers if they decide to go on strike, but not doctors and other medical practitioners, he said God made them special to save lives, and they should live up to the expectation.

“We can devise other ways to save these lives, it is essential,” Talabi said.

In his welcome address, the Ogun State Chairman of NAGGMD, Dr. Olufemi Odusote, said the theme for the 2019 NEC meeting, “The Importance of Supply Chain Management in Health Care System Straightening,” is significant in the face of health challenges.

READ: I Don’t See Patriotism in Your Letters, It Is Selfish, Yakassai Tells Obasanjo

These challenges he noted are manpower, brain drain, the general welfare of members and security challenges, which he said had made doctors vulnerable.

He, however, expressed optimism that with all hands on deck, the nation would get solutions to the challenges confronting the body.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *