The Nigerian Medical Association has said the Federal Government can stop its looming strike if it meets all its demands and those of its affiliate groups.

It said issuing ultimatum did not necessarily translate into declaring industrial action.

The association’s General Secretary, Dr Philips Ekpe, said.

That the association, after its National Executive Council meeting in Benin City, Edo State, issued a 21-day notice to the Federal Government.

In the statement issued on Saturday, the umbrella body of medical doctors noted that the Federal Government had not met the demands of resident doctors who began strike on August 2.

In his reaction, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said the 21-day notice negated the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government.

But in the interview with The PUNCH, Ekpe said the NMA had yet to declare strike.

He said “We have not even said we are going on strike. The government needs to understand that sometimes when you give ultimatum, at the end of the ultimatum, you review the situations on ground. If everything is okay, you call off whatever plan you have on ground.

“Ultimatum is like saying ‘this is the timeline for which we are going to reassess every demand that we gave you before we take another action.’ If things done are not adequate, decisions will be taken.

“The decision to go on strike will be taken by the NMA NEC. If they fail to meet demands, decisions will surely be taken.

“The Federal Government invited us to mediate in the issues with MEDSABAMS and NARD. When NARD called for a strike, the government took them to the National Industrial Court, there was no room for negotiation.

“If truly the FG was negotiating with the NMA very well, they should have gone back to court and seek withdrawal of the suit.

“Once government cooperates and attends to the demands of NARD and the other affiliates, then there won’t be any problem. But at the end of the ultimatum, if things don’t meet our expectations, the NEC will take decisions.”

‘No hospital can boast of 2,000 beds’

The NMA scribe also lamented the poor state of the nation’s health sector.

According to him, Nigeria does not have hospitals that can boast of 2,000 bed facilities.

He said, “The statistics in the ranking of health care shows that Nigeria is 187 out 191. We are four from the last. We are only better than Sudan.

“If our health care system is doing well, will doctors be leaving the country? Human resources is very good but our facilities are bad. We don’t have hospitals that can boast of 2,000 beds in Nigeria.

“We work with archaic equipment here. I give kudos to private hospitals who are doing well.”