Defining The Relationship (Part 1)

Defining the Relationship (DTR) is adding credibility to the word of Dr. Myles Munroe: “When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable”.

Purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. That is the motive, justification or objective of its existence.  It can also be said to be a person's sense of resolve or determination (that is your resolution or conviction for doing something). So to define the relationship (DTR) is to:

•        have a reason for getting into the relationship,
•       have a motive for getting into it,
•        have a justification or objective why you should be in it,
•       etc

When To Define The Relationship

Joel was a staff of a well known Church in Nigeria. He was a very good student and was willing to learn something new from anyone willing to volunteer their knowledge. Soon, he realized that Daniela (a sister in the same church was coming close to him), he didn’t have any issue with that because Daniela was a Polytechnic student that needed someone to confide in especially after the death of her younger sister.

5 Signs To Show You Are Not Communicating Effectively In A Relationship

Often time, people think "communication problems" or "bad communication" as it is known in the local palace in a relationship solely manifests when one person just stops talking in a relationship. However, this is not the case at all. There are many other signs that show a lack or the breakdown of effective communication in relationships. If you will ever desire to have an amiable relationship, then it is important that you pay attention to these five signs so that they don’t become major crisis brewers in your beautiful relationships.

Communicating is said to be effective when in a two way information sharing process, a party sends a message that is easily understood by the other party and the desired feedback is achieved/accomplished. This means that for communication to take place there must be:  
      1.  a sender of the message; 
      2.  a message to be sent; 
      3.  a medium for sending the message and; 
   4. an interference (unfortunately many do not pay attention to this; to their detriment)

This write up hopes to highlight some of these interferences that obviously indicate that you are not communicating effectively in your relationship (whether it be with friends, your spouse, your siblings, your children, in the office etc). These principles are same irrespective of the type of relationship. So you may want to pay attention to these relationship time bombs:

NMA And Her Egocentric Demands: The Height Of Gross Lawlessness, Impunity And Blackmail (3)

   22. NMA demands that Government must urgently set up a health trust fund that will enhance the upgrading of hospitals.NMA is being sentimental here, the problems of our hospital is not funding but mismanagement and accountability. Even if the Government sets 100 trust funds with billions of naira much will not come out of it, because the hospitals are managed contrary to Government laws and principles. Hospital/health administrators should be the ones to head and manage the hospitals. Our hospitals have been poorly managed under the leadership of Allopathic Physicians. When there is good management and accountability Government set goals/objectives can be actualized. 

   23. APPOINTMENT INTO THE OFFICE OF THE CMD/MD: NMA is always doctoring and adding to organic laws. In her 23rd demand, NMA stated “the position of the Chief Medical Director/Medical Director must continue to be occupied by a medical doctor as contained in the act establishing the tertiary hospitals. This position remains sacrosanct and untouchable.” I can beat my chest and say that the leadership of NMA have never seen nor read the content of University Teaching Hospitals (reconstruction of boards) cap U15, LFN 2004 commonly called decree 10 of 1985.There is no where it stated what NMA quoted above. In fact the term medical doctor was never used in that document or Act. Section 5 of the act provides; 

           a)    There shall be for each hospital a Chief Medical Director who shall be appointed by the president on

                such terms and conditions as may be specified in his letter of appointment or as may be determined

                from time to time by the Federal Government.

           b)      The Chief Medical Director shall

                           i.      Be a person who is medically qualified and registered as such for a period of not less than 12 years, and has had considerable administrative experience in matters of health and holds a post graduate medical qualification obtained not less than 5 years prior to the appointment as chief medical director and 

                         ii.      Be charged with the responsibility for the execution of the polices and matters affecting the day to day management of the affairs of the hospital.

NMA And Her Egocentric Demands: The Height Of Gross Lawlessness, Impunity And Blackmail (2)

   10. NMA, with the huge sum they are paid, still wants adjustment in their specialist allowance to be paid to all doctors on CONMESS 3 and above, and must be paid its equivalent that is not less than 50% higher than what is paid to other Health Workers. How can NMA be the one to decide what other Health Workers get? NMA should go and read the Parable of one Talent Payment. 

   11. NMA is calling for Government to pay her members 100,000 naira every month as just hazard allowance. How can NMA be demanding for such, despite all she is already receiving? She is being too selfish/greedy in her demands. Even other workers with worse occupational hazards are not receiving such.

   12. NMA insists on immediate release of circulars on rural posting, teaching and other allowance which must include House Officers. Since 2009 NMA and her members have been collecting teaching allowance even though that teaching allowances as approved by the Government was for very Senior Medical Doctors (Consultants and very Senior Registrars)that are involved in teaching of doctors in training, especially the junior and senior interns. House officers are the junior interns while Resident doctors are senior interns doing a student fellowship to become a specialist .Now NMA is agitating that the interns who are still doctors in training should be paid teaching allowance. House officers and resident doctors by government circulars are not entitled to this payment; it is because of them that Government is paying the teaching allowance. How can the doctor in training be asking for teaching allowance when he is a trainee, and who is he teaching? Since the approval in 2009 and full implementation in 2010, House Officers and Resident Doctors who are NMA members, have been fraudulently collecting huge monthly teaching allowances which they are not entitled. There is no government circular or template that approved such payment. It was in this year 2014, that the Government through the Call Budget Circular from the Ministry of Finance opposed and stopped the payment of teaching allowance to interns. For five years members of NMA who were not entitled to teaching allowance have been defrauding the Government. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.

13. NMA calls for immediate withdrawal of CBN circular authorizing the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigerian (MLSCN) to approve licenses for the importation of in vitro diagnostics (IVDS). It is so petty that NMA is going on strike because the Federal Government (which means well for Nigerians), has taken the bull by the horn to making sure that fake/ substandard diagnostic consumables are removed from the system, by effectively empowering MLSCN-the Agency who has the statutory function to do this job. Sections 4b, and 4e of MLSCN act 11 2003 provides- the function of the board are:

(a) Regulate the Practice of Medical Laboratory Science in Nigerian.

(b) Regulate the production, importation, sales, and stocking of diagnostic reagents and chemicals.

NMA And Her Egocentric Demands: The Height Of Gross Lawlessness, Impunity And Blackmail (1)

In an open letter written to the secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, on the 10th of June and sent to him on the 11th of June 2014, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) under the leadership of Dr. Kayode Obembe as President and Dr. Adewumi Alayaki as secretary had written 24 demands that must be urgently met. They have given the Government a 14-day ultimatum, failure of which NMA would call her members out on an indefinite strike nationwide. NMA is made up of ASSOPON- Association of Pathologist of Nigeria, MDCAN - Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria, ARD-Association of Resident Doctors and smaller sister Associations, who are doctors in public and private practice.

For many years, Allopathic Medical Doctors in Nigeria have always hoodwinked the Government and the general public, through falsehood and blackmail. They have coerced the Government to take unfavorable decisions which have always been detrimental to the health sector and the Nigerian populace. They have continually done this as a result of the structural injustice that has been perpetuated by many members of NMA in high places in Government. They undermine the laws setting up the hospital system, the Public Service Rules and above all the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

At this juncture let us have a critical look at those demands.

1.  APPOINTMENT OF THE POST OF THE DEPUTY CMAC IN HOSPITALS. In line with the University Hospitals (reconstruction of boards) cap U15, LFN 2004 commonly called decree 10 of 1985 which governs Hospital practice in Nigerian, there is the office of the CMAC but it never provided for the office of the DCMAC. In section 4, it provides thus; “there shall be for each Hospital, a Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee who shall be appointed by the Board and responsible to the Chief Medical Director for all the Clinical and Training activities of the Hospital”. Section 2i provides that; the CMAC is a member of the board. There is no place in the organic law setting up the hospital that created the office of the DCMAC and there is no place it says that only Allopathic Medical Doctors should be appointed as such. Yet NMA is insisting that the Government must appoint four DCMAC in every Teaching Hospital and three in every Federal Medical Centre. All along, Boards of Hospitals as a result of threats from NMA have been allowing this illegal office to be used to undermine statutory approved Scheme of Service of other professional groups. The Public Service Rule in section 1-general in 160101 provides; ‘A Parastatal is a government-owned organization, established by statutes to render specified service(s) to the public. It is structured and operates according to the instrument establishing it and also comes under the policy directives of government. In line with 160201 (a) statutory boards/council shall set operational and administrative policies in accordance with government policy directives and supervise the implementation of such policies. A situation where Allopathic Medical Doctors in Nigeria wants the Government to continue to create post and responsibilities not backed by statutes undermines the principles of good governance. It is gross violation of the law setting the Government owned institution. Moreover, it is trite law that you cannot add to a statute. That will be ultra verse.