It must be traumatizing for health workers who have to embark on strike to improve on their remunerations, and at the same time leave patients to the mercy of death or Shylock private facilities. The ongoing nationwide industrial action by Nigerian health workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU has hampered medical services in most Federal Government hospitals across the country. The health workers embarked on the indefinite strike mid April over their unresolved welfare matters..
According to the Chairman of the JOHESU at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Olusegun Sotiloye, the health workers are asking for an upward adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure CONHESS from Level 09 to Level 15 as it was done for other medical practitioners under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure CONMESS since January 2014. They want the employment of additional health workers as well as an upward review of retirement age from 60 to 65 years. The health workers are also asking for increased funding for the hospitals and procurement of medical equipment.
Further more, the union wants government to change the current policy whereby only medical doctors are appointed to head tertiary health institutions.. The National Chairman of JOHESU, Mr. Biobelemoye Josiah, has also given similar reasons for the health workers’ strike. It will be recalled that the health workers went on strike over the same welfare issues in September last year. The ongoing strike by the health workers is not the best for the already beleaguered sector as many patients are left unattended. We urge the striking health workers, the concerned federal ministries and agencies to resolve the issues. It has, indeed, become necessary that the Federal Government should look into the health workers’ grouse without further delay.
Some of the issues they raised are irrefutable. For example, we do not understand why medical doctors should be the only professionals that can head a health facility. It does not augur well at all as managing a health facility is different from being a great physician. That should change. But we do not agree that all health workers must be paid the same emoluments as with doctors. No. That’s stretching the matter unnecessarily. However, we enjoin both parties to the industrial dispute to handle the matter dispassionately and in the spirit of give and take. It is also reassuring that the health authorities are already discussing with the striking workers on the contentious issues.
The health workers should also listen to the government so that at the end of it all, there will be a win-win situation on both sides. We decry the incessant industrial actions in the sector and enjoin the leadership of the health workers to always explore other options to settle such matters before embarking on any strike.
Strike should be used only when other options have failed. The Federal Government must consider seriously the issue of funding the health sector adequately. Gratefully, it is heartwarming that the National Assembly and the Presidency agree on the one percent of the national budget reserved for the health sector. As the 2018 budget is passed we should begin to see the difference in funding. This is a welcome development as that sector has not fared well for a long time. There is no way we can develop the human capital with poor funding of health and education sectors as Bill Gates recently observed. It is unfortunate that the Federal Government’s health sector funding has been hovering between 3.4 per cent and 5.6 per cent of the national budget for some years now.
The WHO recommended doctor/patient ratio is 1:600. In Nigeria, it is 1:6000, India has 1:2083 while US is 1:500. improving welfare of health care practitioners will help reduce the brain drain in the sector and stop the thriving medical tourism by affluent Nigerians and political office holders. Government must also attend to the welfare of the health workers not necessarily when they embark on strike.
We should indeed place a moratorium on strikes in the health sector for at least ten years in the first instance. Especially with financial commitment from government going by the one percent budgetary provision. In the interest of the nation, the patients and the troubled sector, let the government and the striking workers through the ongoing negotiation reach an agreement and call off the strike immediately.
