If Ebola breaks out, striking doctors will work

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) will allow  doctors attend to Ebola patients in the event of an outbreak, despite its ongoing nationwide industrial action.

Vice president of NMA, Dr. Titus Ibekwe, made this known on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

“NMA has been on strike even before the Ebola scare and we are still on strike, but not withstanding if there is an outbreak of Ebola in the country we will attend to such cases,” he said.

“We are not against Nigerians; we care for the people. All we want is for justice to be done.”

He explained that based on the value for human life, NMA directed its members to treat victims of recent bomb blasts in Kano and Kaduna states, notwithstanding the strike.

Ibekwe expressed optimism that all the issues that led to the strike would soon be resolved.

Similarly, Dr Jibril Abdullahi, national president of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), said all members of the association would pay attention to public emergencies, one of which is Ebola outbreak.

“Ebola is an issue of great concern to all Nigerians,” he said.

“We have demonstrated copiously by our conduct in Kaduna and Kano states after the recent bomb blast that doctors are ready to respond to dire public emergencies, including Ebola.”

Abdullahi, however, said that threats and the attempt of government to blackmail doctors into suspending the strike without appropriate resolution to their demands would not work.