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By Henry Uche
The Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations JOHESU/AHPA has condemned what they described as conscious act of bullying of its members by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), with a demand for fair treatment as accorded their counterparts in the health sector.
JOHESU/AHPA’s major demands are: adjustment of Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) as was done for Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS); payment of reviewed hazard allowances and other welfare packages and implementation of consultant cadre for pharmacists in the public service.
From a statement delivered by JOHESU’s acting national secretary, Matthew Ajurotu, the groups also demanded an adjustment of CONHESS as it was done for CONMESS among other demands, urging the federal government (FG) to caution the FMoH from continuing its agenda of oppressing non-physician cadre of health workers.
According to the statement, JOHESU/AHPA lamented that the perennial trouble overwhelming the health sector in Nigeria is becoming unbecoming, while the federal government looks on as though nothing is wrong with the sector.
“We find it necessary to put on record that strategic arms of the FG, especially the FMOH has continue to frustrate every meaningful attempt at redressing our demands which were stepped down in deference to President Buhari’s patriotic appeal that JOHESU members and other personnel should jettison strike actions in public interest.
“A meeting of the technical committee held in July 2022, had concluded its assignments to pave the way for the funds to cater for the adjustment of CONHESS to be disbursed to critical personnel.
“The National Assembly has presently provided a sum of N200Billion service-wide vote which is earmarked to take care of exigencies in the system including N80b provided for adjustment of CONHESS as was done for CONMESS for JOHESU members and other needs in the health sector.
“It is pertinent we draw attention to the reality that despite the payment of withheld April and May, 2018 salaries for JOHESU members, some withheld salaries for our members in federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) who had challenges with their management are still unpaid.
This development is worrisome as it continues to generate entropy in those facilities.”
The groups called on the presidency to intervene on while adding that for over six months in 2021, JOHESU/AHPA has been on the dialogue table to negotiate payment of hazard allowances to health workers in Nigeria, while FG had continuously given assurances that over N40b had been earmarked for the exercise.
“In December, 2021, the FG announced what was due to each cadre of health worker which has been circularised by the National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission (NSWIC). Eight months down the line, we observe with disappointment that the FG has not commenced the disbursement of these allowances which the FG negotiating team admitted was grossly insufficient to cater for the risk factors inherent in care-provisioning in any functional health system.
“We strongly urge you to once again facilitate the implementation of the increase in retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years while that of consultants in non-physician cadre be increased to 70 years. This is the format in the education sector where all FHIs are affiliated to and should be regularised to enhance delivery in health sector.”
On implementation of consultant cadre for pharmacists in the public service, they maintained that the issues is another glaring evidence based episode of the tendencies of the incumbent leadership of the FMOH to truncate the legitimate desires of non-physician health workers in Nigeria.
According to them, various attempts were made to sabotage its approval by the National Council on Establishment in 2011, however, they held on until the office of the Head of Service of the Federation confirmed to the FMoH on March 6, 2020 in a letter that the NCE had approved pharmacist consultant cadre again.
“The FMOH referred to the salaries and wages commission in a letter of May 13, 2020 to develop the appropriate benefit package based on the memo from the HOSOF as well as several other letters, one of which stated the salary structure of medical professional including consultant pharmacists has since been developed.”
