The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has described the strike actions embarked upon by Nigerian doctors as being purely motivated by pecuniary gains.

 

According to a statement issued in Lagos which was signed by the PSN President, Mr. Olumide Akintayo, strikes afford Doctors in the public sector opportunities to divert patients in guaranteed public sector facilities to their own private or those facilities they have vested interests.

 

“What goes on presently during strike actions of doctors is that they are paid for services not rendered during strike. In essence, they eat their cake and have it because they make money through patients they divert as well as earn salaries for jobs not done. Little wonder there is an incentive to go on strike perennially. Government needs to halt this by employing doctors who are desirous of working on locum basis as we have seen practiced by some state governments with great efficacy,” Akintayo said.

 

He stated that the incumbent leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), has embarked on an unprecedented assault on the profession of pharmacy in this country.

 

“A lot of the time what is on display is hatred in antiquity. For the records, in relation to the issues of relativity, good students of history will recall that from the fifties, pharmacists numbered as part of the elite group of professionals who were on scale A in the public service of Nigeria. Prior to the unscrupulous Medical Salary Scale (MSS) initiated by Olikoye Ransome-Kuti in the nineties, which is the foundation of industrial disharmony in Nigeria.

 

“Pharmacists and doctors entered the Public Service on GL 08 for their compulsory one-year Internship and then proceeded to GL 09 after youth service as registered professionals. The fundamental distortion created by Medical Salary Scale which encouraged Doctors to earn over 200% above their contemporaries at all levels has encouraged grandstanding and undue arrogance on the part of some doctors who continue to promote machinations that other health workers must be reduced to house boy status relative to them,” he said.

 

The PSN boss added that medical doctors were the biggest beneficiaries of skipping as currently they enter the public service on the equivalent of GL 10 for internship training (or housemanship) and proceed to GL 12 after youth service when the average university graduate only starts at GL 08 after youth service.

He lambasted their insistence that pharmacists and others must not be allowed to skip CONHESS 10 which is now a major demand before doctors return to work.

He added that the government and medical stakeholders should respect court orders, which allows pharmacists and others to skip CONHESS 10.

 

“Unfortunately, the reign of impunity in the health sector has encouraged the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health and Boards of Management of various Federal Health Institutions which are under the hegemony of sustaining the agenda of the NMA has refused to comply with rulings of the court. The PSN submits with responsibility that it is infact contemptuous of the order of the Nigeria Industrial Court (NIC) that NMA dares makes this a condition to return to work when ever they embark on strike. If they are not satisfied with the ruling, as civilized citizens, they should appeal in the appropriate court,” he added