…Decried delay in constituting boards and governing councils in FHIs
By Doris Obinna
The National Leadership of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has expressed dissatisfaction with delays in the implementation of adjustment of the Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure (CONHESS) as it threatened a fresh strike over the CONHESS adjustment.
The union, while urging the President, Bola Tinubu to reconstitute all Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) boards, disclosed that the implementation was stalled by the bureaucracy associated with appropriate salary committee at the top echelons of government
JOHESU, in a communique issued after its National Leadership meeting in Abuja, which had representatives of the four Associations: the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN); Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutions and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI); National Secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational Institutions and Associated Institutions (NASU), affiliated to it, expressed worry at the delays in the CONHESS implementation.
The communique, which reads in part, reminded the relevant health institutions of the President’s promise to address JOHESU’s demand of over a decade for CONHESS adjustment, which also led to the immediate suspension of a nationwide strike by JOHESU.
It also reminds the appropriate apparatus of the Federal Government (FG) of the promise by the President on June 7, 2023, to resolve the demand of JOHESU on adjustment of CONHESS that has been a subject of trade dispute in the health sector for over ten years.
While praying for an immediate response from the FG to implement the adjustment of CONHESS and commence its immediate payment with arrears in this month, February 2024 in order to avert the resumption of the suspended strike action, applauded the FG for capturing the approved review of the CONHESS in the 2024 Appropriation Act.
Highlighting the importance of cadres in endorsing skill specialisation and career advancement for pharmacy professionals in the health sector in the public interest, JOHESU demanded the creation of vacancies for consultant pharmacists’ cadre in the FHIs after reviewing the progress of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) on the issue at the meeting.
“The National Leadership-in-session reviewed the progress at the OHCSF on the creation of establishment cadres for consultant pharmacists in the FHIs and strongly demands the speedy conclusion of the process. It posited that these established cadres will come to epitomise the endorsement of skill specialisation and career advancement of pharmacists in the health sector in the public interest.
“Also, during the meeting held at the NUAHP in Abuja, leadership positions were democratically distributed among the JOHESU affiliated with JOHESU.”
The newly inaugurated JOHESU leadership under Comrade (Dr.) Kabiru Minjibir as the National Chairman vowed to intensify efforts in addressing existing demands of the Union before the Federal Government, especially the unjust treatment and discrimination of Nigerian health workers.
In another development, the union decried the challenges of delay in constituting boards and governing councils in FHIs and other health sector statutory bodies while listing the difficulties stated that this has caused gaps in the effective management of health institutions, fostering lawlessness and a lack of commitment to due process by FHI CEOs in the absence of boards of management.
Listing the difficulties, JOHESU stated that this has caused gaps in the effective management of health institutions, fostering lawlessness and a lack of commitment to due process by FHI CEOs in the absence of Boards of Management.
“In recent months, we have been critically appraising output of the various Federal Health Institutions, Agencies and Professional Regulatory Bodies in Nigeria’s health sector and have come to the conclusion that there are gaps in the effective management of these health institutions.
“There is observable culture of impunity and lack of adherence to due process by Chief Executive Officers of these FHIs in the absence of Boards of Management.”
JOHESU, while urging the president to pay special cognisance to the health of Nigerians as any life lost cannot and will never be revived, calls for the immediate reconstitution of the boards/governing councils of all FHI, professional regulatory councils and other agencies in the health sector.
“We will continue to support and collaborate with the FG on all progressively inclined health endeavours and sustainable industrial harmony in the ultimate public interest permanently,” the union stated.