It is not a new thing when we talk about the dilapidated health system. The question I want us to ask ourselves is it a deliberate act by the politicians to suppress health growth?
I am sure we all must have heard of the MOU signed by the NARD to suspend industrial strike. The government will be paying them N8.9BN for covid and health hazard allowance.
The strike is constant and I am sure it is not going to end anytime soon. The major complain tied to the health system is always payment of salaries or increment of salaries and other benefits.
Most of us will say it is their entitlement and they deserve it. Fine they do but are the Doctors not forgetting something? A time will come when the entry salary of Doctors would even be 300k and the senior ones even higher but can you work in a dilapidated condition and feel satisfied? I have so many of them as friends and they always lament of facility decadence.
The politicians who are leaders have capitalized on this request and will continue to pay you all salaries but will not upgrade the facility at all and will continue to go for medical tourism abroad.
The NMA and its constituents are fighting for just 0.5% of the health system, the chief being MONEY. The health issues didn't start today and will not end soon because the cause the health organizations are fighting be it JOHESU and NMA are fighting for are
* Increment of salary
* Headship of the health care institutions
They only lament to themselves and outside softly about the medical tourism abroad and poor facilities but I haven't seen them take a stand and strike that all government owned facilities must be upgraded. The war between this two organizations have made the government tag tag them as NOT SERIOUS and will continue to give them money as much as they want when they strike.
Nigeria Health system is poor and some of us in this forum have lost a loved one at least because of the system. No proper X-ray/MRI/CT-scan. Poor pathological labs and many more. Inadequate bed space and the list goes on.
I urge our two giant organizations to fight for the right course and help save lives.
I didn't mention political party and don't talk out of context