There is an indication that the presidential committee on Harmonious work relationship in the Health Sector, inaugurated last year September, 2013 and chaired by Alhaji Yayale will soon commence its work again.

The committee set up to Review the current roles of various professional cadres in the health sector and recommend measures to remove areas of conflict was unable to submit its report within the 8 weeks allocated to it and could not achieve its goal following the resignation of the chairman. The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation was reported to have, resigned his position as the Chairman of the Presidential Committee of Experts on Inter-Professional Relationship in the Public Sector due to lack of funding from federal government.

However, indications are rife that Yayale will soon be called back to resume his duty as funds are now available for his assignment. This was revealed by the secretary to the federal government SGF during a recent meeting between the federal government and the joint health sector union JOHESU at the secretary to the Federal government’s office. The Yayale Ahmed committee will be expected to appraise other issues related to Job Evaluation and a total review of the other contentious matters in the Health Sector.

The meeting chaired by the Secretary to the government of the federation (SFG) Senator Anyim Pius, the minister of Labor, ministry of Health, Chairman Salaries and wages and other government functionaries, led to some resolution, some of which are;

That the SGF should liaise with the Head of Service of the Federation for a feedback on the position of the National Council on Establishment with respect to retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years.

A bargaining committee to be put in place for negotiations of the problems areas of the consolidated salaries and allowances of the CON HESS scale while payment of specialist allowances should be worked out for hospital-based health workers who have post-graduate fellowships Phds, Msc, PGDs or other appropriate and recognized specialist programmes. The resolution further stated that the Attorney-General of the Federation should interpret who is medically qualified to be appointed a consultant in hospitals, among other issues.

Based on this outcome, the indefinite strike as proposed by JOHESU was put on hold pending the outcome of their next meeting scheduled for March 13th, 2014.