The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has advised his fellow medical doctors in the country to be humble and carry themselves with dignity, rather than “play God or compete with God”.
He gave the advice while speaking at the 2nd Summit of Medical Elders Forum (MEF) on Thursday, in Abuja, themed: “Medical Profession: a Look into the Past, Present and Future”.
“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 said.
All Facts News reports that the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) are currently on industrial action with the President of the association, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, disclosing recently that the federal government is not ready to meet the demands of doctors.
Ngige, while speaking at the forum, noted that Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu and Dr Isaac Adewole as Ministers of Health, contended with lots of strikes, adding that, “since our government came on board, I have consolidated four strikes; something is wrong.
“Doctors should ask themselves questions; why is it that it’s when your colleagues are in government that you go on the greatest number of strikes?
“Some of these colleagues were Presidents, Secretaries-General of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and even NARD,” Ngige asked?
He continued, “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 for them to dislike 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,” the Labour Minister added.
Earlier, NMA’s President, Prof. Innocent Ujah, disclosed that 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.
“Everybody is envious of the doctor, what is the problem? What have we done? Is it a sin to be intelligent? By the way, we are the most intelligent,” he stated.
Ujah, who raised concerns over the release of some circulars by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and the National Universities Commission (NUC), stated that they were contradictory.
He explained that such contradictions formed part of the reasons behind the disharmony in the nation’s health sector.
“A circular from the Salaries and Wages Commission is coming out that no more CONMESS for doctors, who are lecturers.
“But, it is there as a circular, so why is the doctor singled out?” he asked.