•It’s Testament To Global Best Practices –PSN
By Chioma Umeha
Lagos – History has been made in the quest for
health workers’ career progression as the Lagos State Government has approved
the creation of Consultant Pharmacist cadre in its scheme of service.
In a letter of appreciation to Mr. Akinwunmi
Ambode, Lagos State governor, Pharm. Bola Adeniran, Chairman, Pharmaceutical
Society of Nigeria (PSN)
Lagos State chapter, thanked the Lagos State Government for the gesture.
Pharm. Adeniran said that the creation of the
consultant cadre was a testament to the global best practices expected of a
Centre of Excellence like Lagos.
She said the creation would eventually ensure that
the professionals would be able to practice to the best of their ability in
enhancing patient-centred healthcare services.
“We look forward to the speedy implementation of
the circular,” she said.
The creation of the consultant cadre for
pharmacists was sequel to the approval of the submission of the Association of
Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) made to the Head of
the Civil Service of the Federation on May 8, 2017 on the need to review the
Scheme of Service for Public/Civil Service Pharmacists.
The letter of approval was signed by Dr. A. K.
Muhammad, Permanent Secretary (SPSO) for Head of the Civil Service of the
Federation.
In the submission, the AHAPN contended that the
current Scheme of Service had no provision for the Fellowship programme of the
West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (FPCPharm).
“Under the extant scheme, Pharmacists are
stagnated at Grade Level 16 or even 15 because there is only one provision for
Grade Level 17 which is the directorship position. It is important to state
that a good number of Pharmacists spend over 12 years on Grade Level 16 with
many of them retiring without the attainment of Grade Level 17.
“Therefore the request for review has been
necessitated by the fact of the establishment of the West African Postgraduate
College of Pharmacists to acquire more skills through specialist courses which
they undertake in a four year programme thus qualifying as consultants.
“The approval and the commencement of the six-year
Pharm D Programme, a clinical-oriented and patient-specific programme whereby
pharmacists shift from the traditional dispensing to offering a comprehensive
pharmaceutical care, rational drug use, therapeutic drug monitoring, providing
drug information services and pharmacovigilance.”
The AHAPN also said that public service
pharmacists had been engaged in manufacturing and quality assurance of
pharmaceutical products used in public hospitals both at State and Federal levels
thus helping in improving the quality of products and services rendered by
pharmacists in public health institutions and the increasing role of
Pharmacists involvement in policy formulation on drug use, distribution,
control and management.
“In the light of the above, we hereby propose two
distinct schemes, one for the General Practice Cadre and the other for the
Consultant Cadre in order to eliminate stagnation and frustration while
restoring equity, justice and team spirit in the health sector.”
The submission was submitted in 2008 during the
National Council on Establishment meeting held in Jos, Plateau State following
which the NCE set up a technical committee which went round to verify the
claims in the submission. The team visited Lagos, Enugu, Plateau and Kano
states after which it submitted its report to the Prof. Oladipo Afolabi, the
then HoCSF.
The Committee headed by the Head of Service of
Benue State was mandated to harmonise the submission and make recommendations
to a larger council. The council sitting in Abuja in Agust 2011 approved the
submission.
The Council upheld the recommendation of the
Committee and approved the request for the creation of Pharmacists Consultants
Cadre in the Public Service and the Scheme of Service for the Cadre.
In the new scheme of service, Consultant
Pharmacist would be on GL 15; Principal Consultant Pharmacist GL 16 while the Chief Consultant
Pharmacist would be on GL 17.
Recall that JOHESU is currently on nationwide
strike over alleged Federal Government’s failure to meet their demands.
The union suspended its last nationwide strike on
September 30, 2017, after signing a Memorandum of Terms of Settlement (MOTS),
with the Federal Government.
The MOTS was supposed to be implemented within
five weeks after the date of suspension of the strike. However, the union noted
that six months after the suspension of the nationwide strike, government was
yet to do anything tangible over the pending issues.
However, the striking Joint Health Sector Workers
(JOHESU) last Wednesday, directed all its members in states and local
governments to join the in a nationwide indefinite industrial action beginning
today’s midnight.
The directive was announced by Comrade
Biobelemonye Joy Josiah, the National President of the union, at a press
conference in Abuja.
According to him, the directive was sequel to
another deadlocked meeting between JOHESU and the federal government delegation
led by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige.
Earlier, the strike was limited to the tertiary
health institutions, but Biobelemonye said JOHESU had decided to involve its
members at both State and LGAs levels following government unresponsiveness to
their demands.
He blamed the government for not showing any
seriousness to meet the demands of the union for adjustment of the CONHESS
salary structure which affects over 95 per cent of the health workforce
nationwide.
The National President said: “The Government has
not shown enough commitment to tow the path of honour and meet our demands,
especially, the core demand for the upward adjustment of CONHESS Salary
Structure as agreed in the Memorandum of Terms of Settlement signed on
September 30, 2017 with JOHESU.
“So we are left with no other option than to
direct States and Local Governments to commence and join the strike action
nationwide from midnight of today, Wednesday, May 9, 2018.”
Biobelemonye further alleged that members of
JOHESU have continued to be shortchanged by the Federal Government in favour of
medical doctors.
“We wish to bring to your attention, that the
preferential treatment given to Medical Doctors has remained the major
albatross to the peaceful coexistence of Health Practitioners in the Health
Industry in Nigeria.”
He added, “On the issue of CONHESS adjustment,
which we regard as the flagship of our demands, government in 2014 granted
CONMESS adjustment to Medical Doctors and immediately two months arrears while
other months were spread.
“CONHESS review is the upward adjustment of the
CONHESS Salary table in-line with the same principles used in adjusting the
CONMESS table for Medical Doctors who work with us in the health team.
“Our own demand for the adjustment of CONHESS that
affects over 95 per cent of the health workforce nationwide has been frustrated,
and part of the reason for this is that the Minister of Health as well as the
Minister of State for Health are all Medical Doctors, while the Minister of
Labour and Employment, who should be a neutral umpire in Trade Disputes is
equally a Medical Doctor.
“They, therefore, feel unconcerned on matters of
welfare of other healthcare providers.
This is quite unfortunate,”
“However, after three rounds of meetings held on
Thursday, April 26, 2018, May 2, 2018, and May 7, 2018 respectively, at the instance of the Minister of
Labour and Employment to find a way forward, but alas, the Federal Ministry of
Health is bent on thwarting all efforts at reaching an amicable settlement of
the issues of our demands.
“This
is particularly concerns the upward adjustment of CONHESS Salary
Structure.
“Despite the superior argument of National
Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to the effect that basic salaries are
always the same apart from the 1991 distortion which was later corrected by a
Federal Government policy with the Harmonised Salary Structure of 1988, while
relativity is based on the entry point of Doctors and other Health
Professionals,” he stressed.
“Government has not shown any seriousness to meet
our demands and the existence of fifth columnists in and out of government who
are bent on escalation to prolong the strike for their selfish interest of
privatisation of government hospitals, and buy these government legacies for
themselves has not helped the matter,” he added.
JOHESU commended their members who despite all
provocations and intimidation have stood firm to defend their right.
The union further appealed to the general public
and Nigerians to bear with it for the withdrawal of their services, which can
be attributed to the insincerity of government, particularly, the Federal
Ministry of Health.
It accused the leadership of the Federal Ministry
of Health for behaving like a ‘Federal Ministry of Doctors’ rather than a
Federal Ministry of Health.
However, due to various appeals and intervention
from well-meaning Nigerians and Opinion Leaders, JOHESU said, it has decided to
temporarily put on hold other activities such as; street protest/processions;
rallies at state capitals, and joint zonal picketing.
Under the then President, His Excellency Alhaji
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the Nigerian Government in 2009 had approved two different
Salary Structures in the Health Sector.
These two Salary Scales were known as Consolidated
Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Scale
(CONHESS).Medical Doctors in the Service of the Nigerian Civil Service are on
CONMESS, while every other person working in the Health Sector was placed under
the CONHESS structure.
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