•Give Notice Of Fresh Strike
Chioma Umeha
Health workers have threatened to commence on industrial action over failure of the
Federal Government’s to honour an agreement it made with it by approving the
adjustment of CONHESS scale as was done to medical doctors’ CONMESS since
January 2014 and replicated in September 2017.
The health workers who came under the auspices of
Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations
(JOHESU/AHPA) said that the delay in implementation by the Federal Government
was not causing crisis in the health sector.
This warning was contained in a communiqué
JOHESU/AHPA issued at the end of its three-day consultative meeting held from
February 6 to 8, 2018 in Abuja, just as the group noted it has communicated its
discontentment on the issue to the appropriate government quarters.
In the communiqué signed by Comrade Biobelemoye
Joy Josiah and Comrade Ekpebor Florence, JOHESU’s National Chairman and
National Secretary, respectively, the union described the Federal Government’s
stance as a ‘delay tactics.’
They accused the Federal Government of
deliberately foot-dragging in approving the adjustment of CONHESS scale and
lamented that this was also affecting the efficiency of professionals in the
sector.
CONHESS means Consolidated Health Salary Structure
for health professionals and staff in the federal public service, while CONMESS
is consolidated medical salary structure for medical and dental officers also
in the federal public service.
The health workers urged the Federal Government to
revisit the constitution of the membership of the boards of all the Federal
Health Institutions (FHIs) urgently.
They claimed that the list of members published in
December 2017 seriously violated the Teaching Hospital Act which provides that
a representative of health providers must be appointed on all the boards.
JOHESU/AHPA regretted the Federal Government did
not appoint its members on the boards despite the fact that a formal list was
sent to it on request.
It said the action breached one of the terms of
its September 30, 2017 Terms of Settlement to redress the perennial lopsided
composition of the boards of the FHIs.
The communiqué read; “The JOHESU/AHPA put on
record that the FG on a sad note did not appoint members of JOHESU/AHPA on the
boards despite the fact that a formal list was sent to the Federal Government
on request.
“Thereby, breaching one of the terms of its
September 30, 2017 Terms of Settlement to redress the perennial lopsided
composition of the boards of the FHIs.”
JOHESU/AHPA, however, commended Hon. Yakubu
Dogara, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Hon. Betty Apiafi, the
Chairman and members of the House Committee on Tertiary Health Institutions for
granting the leadership of union audience.
It urged the lawmakers to facilitate enhanced
access to healthcare in the country, boost strategies to institutionalise
Public Health reforms to counter the menace of clinical disease state such as
Lassa fever, Ebola and monkey-pox in the country.
“JOHESU/APHA Strongly urged the House of
Representatives members to facilitate enhanced access to healthcare in the
country, boost strategies to institutionalise Public Health reforms to counter
the menace of clinical disease state like Lassa fever, Ebola and monkey-pox in
the country.”
It also pleaded with them to intervene in the
unending cycle of discriminatory output of the Federal Ministry of Health
(FMoH) in dispensing privileges and resources to the various cadres of health
workers in the country.
JOHESU/AHPA said it has critically evaluated the
seeming unending tenure of the CEOs of some of the FHIs and called on the FG to
invoke the spirit of existing circulars to entrench due process the public
interest.
It warned that at the expiration of the ultimatum
it might no longer be in position to guarantee industrial harmony in the health
sector.
It, however, called for calm among members while
the leadership appraises and monitors the Federal Government’s compliance to
the Terms of Settlement with JOHESU on September 30, 2017.
