...As they set to shut down Hospitals from
January 15th
Fejiro Oliver

The medical workers in Nigeria under the
umbrella of JOHESU has called on the
Presidency to kill the idea of Surgeon General
in the country to allow peace reign in the
health sector or witness a total closure of the
nation’s hospitals.
This warning was handed over on 6th January
2014 during a press briefing by the union in
Lagos. In a press release sent to us, they
enumerated the problematic areas of the
health sector as;
1. Post of Surgeon-General in Nigeria and
Arbitrariness in the Health Sector
2. Skipping of CONHESS 10
3. Consultancy Status for Healthcare-
Providers
4. Implementation of Agreements signed with
Government since 2009
5. The National Health Bill
6. Amendment of Act 10 of 1985
7. National Health Insurance Scheme
8. Double Salary for Honorary Consultants
According to them “the information provided
on the need for the post of the Surgeon-
General cannot be a compelling factor to
waste scarce public funds for an ego trip. The
precedence of a Surgeon-General draws its
parallel from only the U.S.A. It is not the
norm in any other part of the world. The best
in terms of ranking ever achieved by a
Surgeon-General was as an Assistant Secretary
of Health. Today the incumbent Surgeon-
General reports to an Assistant Secretary of
Health in the United States which promotes
the concept.
It is instructive to note that the office of the
Assistant Secretary of Health to which the
Surgeon General reports in the U.S.A. is
junior to the Minister of State for Health in
Nigeria.” They further noted that creating
such an office will be a duplication of the
Minister of Health, since there is a director of
Public Health under the ministry. Their
refusal also stemmed from the fact that the
bill has already been rejected by the 6th
National Assembly as well as the Justice
Abdullahi Gusau Committee on Harmony in
the Health Sector.
They berated Olukoye Kuti who created the
Medical Salary Scale in the nineties which is
the bane of the health sector today. The
statement wonders why a Medical Doctor
should earn 200% salary above his colleague
in any sector. “The insistence that other health
worker must not be allowed to skip CONHESS
10 which is now a major demand in the quest
to placate Doctors not to go on strike is a
national embarrassment and fraud. Doctors
are now demanding to enter the public service
on salary GL 14 after National Youth Service.”
They urge the government to respect the
court ruling which allows for them to skip
CONHESS 10. The Medical workers asked the
government to immediately obey the court
judgment on the issue of consultancy which
was stopped. They wonder why there can be
no consultant in other medical field when they
are specialized professionals, just as it obtains
in other parts of the world.
They bemoaned as situation where ‘the
promotion of our members has been withheld
for decades. Professional regulatory laws and
service circulars continue to be recklessly
compromised by the Federal Government
working on the advice of the Federal Ministry
of Health, like we recently witnessed again at
NAFDAC for instance where the Director-
General of the Agency has been re-appointed
in flagrant violation of Section 9 of the
enabling NAFDAC Act which provides inter-alia
that the Director General “must have a good
knowledge of PHARMACY, FOOD and DRUGS”.
Further they urged the government to
implement the new wages and call duty
allowance. The issue of the National Health
Bill according to them contradicts the
constitution, especially some paragraph which
vested power on it to regulate the medical
profession when an act has been passed
vesting such powers on the various medical
boards.
They demanded for the amendment of the act
coined by Kuti. “The foundation for all the
years of injustice in the health sector is
grounded in the military drafted Teaching
Hospital Act 10 of 1985, a creation of Late
Olikoye Kuti. The statute facilitates imbalance
in board appointments in favour of doctors,
stagnation in the career strata of health
workers as well as other exclusive privileges
for doctors in a multi-disciplinary sector”, it
stated
The statement exposed that consultants in the
medical and dental council earn double salary
as honorary consultants since they are
University employees but also collect money
from the teaching hospitals where they come
once a week to choose patients to treat. They
therefore called on the government to
privatize medical services in private hospitals.
“We put on record that 50% of total health
budget is dedicated to the payment of only
consultant doctors in Federal Health
Institutions. This is the main reason why
Nigerian Medical Association and Medical and
Dental Consultants of Nigeria continue to
agitate against Integrated Personal Pay Roll
System (IPPRS) because it subsequently will
detect those who earn double salary.
Government therefore needs to privatize
medical services in public hospitals in
Nigeria.”
They asked for a meeting with Mr. President
who is the father of the nation to enable
them air their views, while a fifteen days
ultimatum was given to the government to
meet their demands.
Consequent upon this and the expiration of
the 15 day ultimatum earlier given, the Joint
Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of
Healthcare Professionals of Nigeria in league
after appraising all its options painfully direct
all its members to proceed on a 5-day
warning strike from Wednesday January 15 to
Tuesday January 21, 2014 to enable
government led personally by President
Goodluck Jonathan redress through
constructive dialogue its prayer/grievances as
reflected in this position paper which shall be
made available to government. The condition
precedent to dialogue with President Jonathan
is a minimum conditionality which is also
non-negotiable as the President who is the
father of the nation must be willing to give all
his children a listening ear in a conflict that
continues to fester as a rotten and infected
wound because the future of healthcare-
providers in Nigeria can no longer be left with
Presidential aides who find it difficult to
disguise their affection for the interest of only
one profession in a multi-disciplinary sector.
In the event that Government does not enter
into meaningful dialogue within two weeks of
this notice, we shall be left with no option
than to commence a more excruciating and
total nationwide strike to enforce our
liberties.

funny people.if they think that privatizing the hospitals with a business man paying a pharmacist above a doctor will happen, they need to have their heads checked..lol

I hope this is not another ploy by the opposition to disrupt this administration

phantom: funny people.if they think that privatizing the hospitals with a business man paying a pharmacist above a doctor will happen, they need to have their heads checked..lol

Gosh! R u this unintelligent or it's an online thing? Did you read the post at all?

They
therefore called on the government to
privatize medical services in private hospitals.
“We put on record that 50% of total health
budget is dedicated to the payment of only
consultant doctors in Federal Health
Institutions. This is the main reason why
Nigerian Medical Association and Medical and
Dental Consultants of Nigeria continue to
agitate against Integrated Personal Pay Roll
System (IPPRS) because it subsequently will
detect those who earn double salary.
Government therefore needs to privatize
medical services in public hospitals in
Nigeria.”

Did u read this part?? Who says a business man will pay a doctor over a pharmacist? Pathetic boy!

adeola_drg:

Gosh! R u this unintelligent or it's an online thing? Did you read the post at all?

They
therefore called on the government to
privatize medical services in private hospitals.
“We put on record that 50% of total health
budget is dedicated to the payment of only
consultant doctors in Federal Health
Institutions. This is the main reason why
Nigerian Medical Association and Medical and
Dental Consultants of Nigeria continue to
agitate against Integrated Personal Pay Roll
System (IPPRS) because it subsequently will
detect those who earn double salary.
Government therefore needs to privatize
medical services in public hospitals in
Nigeria.”

Did u read this part?? Who says a business man will pay a doctor over a pharmacist? Pathetic boy!

so pharmacists get more than doctor in lagoon hospital? hopeless student and product of examination malpractice.

adeola_drg:

Gosh! R u this unintelligent or it's an online thing? Did you read the post at all?

They
therefore called on the government to
privatize medical services in private hospitals.
“We put on record that 50% of total health
budget is dedicated to the payment of only
consultant doctors in Federal Health
Institutions. This is the main reason why
Nigerian Medical Association and Medical and
Dental Consultants of Nigeria continue to
agitate against Integrated Personal Pay Roll
System (IPPRS) because it subsequently will
detect those who earn double salary.
Government therefore needs to privatize
medical services in public hospitals in
Nigeria.”

Did u read this part?? Who says a business man will pay a doctor over a pharmacist? Pathetic boy!

what does privatization mean?

phantom: funny people.if they think that privatizing the hospitals with a business man paying a pharmacist above a doctor will happen, they need to have their heads checked..lol

Whatever you pay your doctors in your private hospital is your business. If i decide to employ locum doctors and pay them N30,000 in my clinic, you can puke. It's my business. The Doctor can look elsewhere.

Fashola employs locum/contract Docs. Go to the Lasg H.S.C at broad street and see how they jostle for the crumbs.... do they have a choice? bloody NO!

YourHealthlabs:

Whatever you pay your doctors in your private hospital is your business. If i decide to employ locum doctors and pay them N30,000 in my clinic, you can puke. It's my business. The Doctor can look elsewhere.

Fashola employs locum/contract Docs. Go to the Lasg H.S.C at broad street and see how they jostle for the crumbs.... do they have a choice? bloody NO!

no problem.privatize the hospitals and leave it solely in the hands of a businessman and see whose salary is used as a yardstick.go to shell and find out who the highest paid health professional is.forget story.this is an ego fight for you guys but unfortunately you will NEVER be treated EQUAL as a doctor.if you want to be treated equal as one, buy yourself a jamb form and do the needful

thepathologist:

so pharmacists get more than doctor in lagoon hospital? hopeless student and product of examination malpractice.

Oh mehn!!! Let me help u a little here. The summary is this. Privatization would get rid of those consultants that'll come to the wards once in a week and earn fat salaries even if he decides not to. No one is saying pharmacists want to earn more than doctors, u dull fellow. Ud be paid now depending on ur inputs. Decide not to come to the wards for two weeks and lets see what will hit ur salary. It'll keep everyone on his toes. This way, the patients'll get better care. Y do always worry bout pharmacy sef? This worry has deluded ur mind. I quit mehn!

YourHealthlabs:

Whatever you pay your doctors in your private hospital is your business. If i decide to employ locum doctors and pay them N30,000 in my clinic, you can puke. It's my business. The Doctor can look elsewhere.

Fashola employs locum/contract Docs. Go to the Lasg H.S.C at broad street and see how they jostle for the crumbs.... do they have a choice? bloody NO!

LMAOOOOOOO

This isn't heading anywhere. I'd better find my way.

adeola_drg:

Oh mehn!!! Let me help u a little here. The summary is this. Privatization would get rid of those consultants that'll come to the wards once in a week and earn fat salaries even if he decides not to. No one is saying pharmacists want to earn more than doctors, u dull fellow. Ud be paid now depending on ur inputs. Decide not to come to the wards for two weeks and lets see what will hit ur salary. It'll keep everyone on his toes. This way, the patients'll get better care. Y do always worry bout pharmacy sef? This worry has deluded ur mind. I quit mehn!

paid based on input will even worsen your case.in that situation they ll even find out that the pharmacist is redundant and does nothing more than dispense drugs.come to lng bonny.the consultant radiologist doesnt come more than twice a week yet still gets paid in millions a month far above the radiographer who is there everyday.ask if you doubt me.

phantom: paid based on input will even worsen your case.in that situation they ll even find out that the pharmacist is redundant and does nothing more than dispense drugs.come to lng bonny.the consultant radiologist doesnt come more than twice a week yet still gets paid in millions a month far above the radiographer who is there everyday.ask if you doubt me.

Chief, the Hospital Proprietor will decide what he does with his money. Whether he decides to have 10 Clinical Scientists or Docs on his BOD it's his prerogative. Forgerrit.

You can earn a billion...who cares. What matters is adding value and ensuring the Patient gets ultimate care.

Follow this link, at Band 9 , you'll see the Consultant clinical Scientist sitting on the food chain in the laboratory dept in the U.K NHS organogram.

www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/healthcare-science/pay-for-healthcare-science-staff/