• Chukwu defends govt actions

 

• NMA lauds delivery of services by doctors

 

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to caution the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, over what it described as breach of agreement with health workers that allegedly led to the ongoing industrial action in the sector.

 

   In a statement yesterday signed by its President, Abdulwahed Oma, the NLC alleged that Chukwu flagrantly breached some agreements, including the one with the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), and disregarded the ruling of the National Industrial Court (NIC) which led to the strike.  According to him, the congress is dismayed that “the minister did not only violate, dishonour and abandon a ruling by a competent court as the NIC, but repudiated an earlier agreement with the unions that both parties will be bound by the outcome of the court ruling, and was at the forefront of taking the case to court through the Minister of Labour.

 

  “The minister is advised to stop playing politics with the health of Nigerian people, especially poor working people who do not have the wherewithal or access to slush funds to patronize private hospitals and go for routine foreign check-ups.”

 

  But the minister has defended the action of government to appeal the National Industrial Court (NIC) judgment.

 

  Speaking yesterday at the opening of meeting aimed at ending the impasse, Chukwu submitted that the issue of salary scale skipping has been in dispute for about 10 years. He stated that the decision to skip or not is domiciled in the National Income Wages and Salaries Commission and not the Ministry of Health.   

 

   His words: “The issue in contention between JOHESU originated about 10 years ago. There was service-wide circular issued by the office of Head of Service of the Federation about Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS) and no minister has any powers to ignore circular from the Head of Civil Service of the Federation that affected all federal public servants. The circular said there is nothing like skipping because Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) is a special scheme that ends at Grade level 15 and CONHISS ends on Grade Level 17. The only body charged with the responsibilities of speaking about salary is the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission, which has written severally to the Federal Ministry of Health that CONHESS 15 is equivalent to CONTISS 17 which in turns translate to Grade Level 15 of CONHESS and Grade Level 17 of CONTISS. If that is the case, a director on CONTISS is on Grade Level 17 but a director of CONHESS is on Grade level 15. But when you skip, a deputy director is on CONHESS 15 and there is no CONHESS 16. So, when you want to promote CONHESS Grade 15 there is no level to promote such a person to.” 

 

He then submitted that since both government and JOHESU had agreed to be law abiding, going to appeal the ruling of the NIC can therefore not be declared offensive by JOHESU.

 

  Meanwhile, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has advised that the warring parties should engage in more dialogue towards early resolution of the current strike by medical and health workers. The association lauded doctors for sustaining delivery of healthcare services in the hospitals, despite the industrial action.

 

   The NMA claimed to be offering medical services to save the life of one of the striking health workers who was involved in an accident at the weekend.

 

   President of NMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, said in a statement yesterday: “ We place on record the treatment offered to one of the striking allied health workers last Friday, at the National Hospital Abuja, following her involvement in a near fatal road traffic accident. We had her life saved by compassionate doctors on duty.”

 

   He commended all Nigerian doctors for heeding the call of the association to sustain the delivery of healthcare services in Nigeria, despite the strike by health workers.

 

   He said: “For the record, we wish to inform the public that the public hospitals have remained open for consultation with their doctors who are very committed to ensuring their good health at all times. Nigerians with health challenges should therefore feel free to visit the public hospitals to patiently consult their doctors in the Outpatient departments, Accident and Emergency Units, laboratory, Antenatal clinics, and other departments of public hospitals. The Labour wards in the public hospitals have remained open and pregnant women in labour are being delivered by doctors.

 

   “Nigerians seeking healthcare should note that doctors do not mill around the hospital gates or in the open compound but can be found providing healthcare services in clinics, wards, theatres and other clinical service delivery points in the hospital. We call on Nigerians visiting our hospitals to ask for their doctors and avoid being misdirected. Our main concern is that no life should be unnecessarily lost as a result of the on-going strike.

 

   “We therefore praise the efforts of our doctors and other compassionate allied health workers who, last week, despite the challenges of the Nigerian environment, successfully conducted delicate medical and surgical procedures (including brain surgeries and caesarean operations) in various hospitals across the country, particularly at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) and the National Hospital, Abuja.”

 

  Meanwhile, health workers under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) have suspended their strike. They said they took the action so that they can join the on-going nationwide strike embarked on by JOHESU.

 

FROM YETUNDE EBOSELE, JOSEPH OKOGHENUN, COLLINS OLAYINKA AND EMEKA ANUFORO

Guardian