•Urges Sustained Dialogue To Avert Industrial
Actions
CHIOMA UMEHA
Lagos
As the 89th National Conference of the
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) holds from November 7 to November 12 in
Minna, Niger State, the Society has promised to use the gathering to exploit
areas of huge manpower development for Nigeria in order to attain self
sufficiency and economic growth.
Pharm Ahmed Yakasai, president of PSN said this
while granting interview to journalists recently, ahead of the conference, just
as he promised that a “new positive force” will emerge at the end of the annual
event.
According Yakasai , the conference with a theme,
‘Pharmaceutical Industry Contributions to National Development’ will bring
together pharmacists and other scientists across the country and even beyond.
The PSN boss stressed: “Our nation needs to
develop an efficient manpower base in the quest for self-sufficiency and
economic growth.
“(So), this unique conference will, therefore,
exploit avenues for these much-sought-after maxims as it concerns the
pharmaceutical sector of the economy.”
Speaking further, Yakasai said that the present
leadership of PSN has pledged its unalloyed commitment to maintaining the
existing balance in the health sector, vowing never to disrupt the equilibrium
in the PSN.
He insisted that they are not prepared to cause
imbalance in the pharmaceutical body as witnessed before.
This is even as Yakasai urged the Federal
Government to ensure befitting and lawful appointments in the pharmaceutical
sector in order to boost the health of Nigerians.
The PSN President said: “Our first priority is to
ensure lawful appointments on all pharmaceutical platforms, because we
certainly do not pray for the type of disruption in equilibrium we experienced
at Pharmacists Council of Nigeria when representatives of PSN were compromised
due to a distasteful manipulation by an interested party.
“We had similar scenario at National Agency for
Food, Drugs and Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which degenerated to a
court action in another dispensation.
“I therefore appeal to the Federal Government to
give us lawful and befitting appointments in the pharmaceutical sector in the
days and months ahead,” he added.
Speaking further, the experienced pharmacist
harped on the imperative of regular and sustained negotiations with health
workers in order to avert industrial actions.
He said that PSN encourages a sustained
intervention of government to issues bordering on the welfare of health workers
as formally championed by Barrister Ocholi, the late Minister of State for
Labour and Productivity.
Yakasai, while admitted that industrial action
should be the last option for health workers and other sectors with one demand
or the other.
He however, appealed to the Federal Government to
always demonstrate understanding of the health workers condition in their fight
for better reward.
He said: “We call on all the appendages of
government including the Office of the Secretary to Government of the
Federation, Head of Service of the Federation, Budget Office, Federal Ministry
of Health, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and all others involved
in negotiations with JOHESU/AHPA not to allow a breakdown in negotiations.
“Everything humanly possible must be done to avert
another strike of health workers, which can only hurt our economy as well as
inflict morbidity on the generality of our people.
“We wish to appeal to the President Muhammadu
Buhari-led Federal Government to give immediate attention to the clamours of
health workers including pharmacists to redress some pressing welfare demands.”
According to the PSN boss, the demands include:
“Immediate release of the circular on adjustment of the CONHESS scale by the
Salaries and Wages Commission, full payment of balance of arrears of the
skipping of CONHESS 10, which remains outstanding since 2010 in some Federal
Health Institutions, proper implementation of the circular which prescribes
sanctions on defaulting and increase in the retirement age of health workers
from 60 to 65 years, among others.”
Meanwhile, the PSN President said that effecting a
review on the National Health Policy is overdue, stating that society welcomes
the idea of tinkering with the policy.
He said that such review is timely and very much
welcomed in order to promote the health of Nigerians and also enhance the
nation’s socio-economic development.
“The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria welcomes
the idea of a reviewed National Health Policy 2016 (NHP) which is certainly
overdue.
“In tandem with the philosophy of the document and
a dire need to promote the health of Nigerians to accelerate socio-economic
development of the nation, a holistic approach and attitude needs to be brought
to bear on the totality of endeavours with regards to the health policy,”
Yakasai noted.
He mentioned areas of focus for such to include,
Human Resources for Health (HRH) at Primary Care Level, use of medicines and
vaccines at Primary Care Level, Public Private Partnerships (PPP) at Primary
Health Level and Human Resources for Health.
He said further urged the Federal Government to
embrace all cadres of health experts and workers into the health system.
“The Federal Ministry of Health must see a
compelling need to embrace new thinking and a fresh attitude by inculcating all
cadres of health professionals and workers into the health system.”
