Health workers under the umbrella of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have appealed to the federal government to prevail on the Ministry of Health and its Labour and Employment counterpart to urgently resolve all pending issues with the professional bodies to avoid resumption of the suspended strike action.

JOHESU/AHPA in September 2020 embarked on a warning strike over unresolved welfare issues, which was suspended following the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari. But 10 months later, the health workers are threatening to go back to the trenches if the authorities fail to address their grievances.

Although the Acting National Secretary, JOHESU, Comrade Mathew Ajurotu, in statement, commended the government for budgeting a substantial amount of money to cover special personnel wages in all sectors, including the health sector; he however expressed disappointment at the FMOH’s frustration of every meaningful attempt at redressing the associations’ welfare demands.

“JOHESU finds it imperative to convey its gratitude to the FG for ensuring fairness and justice are dispensed to all segments of the perennially troubled health sector in Nigeria.

“Specifically, it is very necessary to put on record our deep appreciation of efforts to get JOHESU/AHPA members paid their long withheld April and May, 2018 salaries due to high wire schemes and intrigues of our sector which played out at high levels and compelled the avoidable and unnecessary seizures of the salaries of our members.

“We cherish these laudable moves which have reduced the tension and apprehension in the health sector. It is also necessary to put on record that strategic arms of the federal government, especially the FMOH has continued 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.”

In the statement titled, ‘Update on the Demand for Adjustment of CONHESS as done for CONMESS and other Demands of JOHESU/AHPA’, they urged President Buhari’s quick intervention for every lingering agreement on their welfare to be met.

They highlighted that their agitations for the demands started eight and a half years ago when the federal government adjusted the CONMESS for Physician Cadre in Federal Public Service.

“These are adjustments of CONHESS as was done for CONMESS; payment of Reviewed Hazard Allowances and other Welfare Packages and implementation of Consultant Cadre for Pharmacists in the Public Service.”

“The Chief Conciliator of the Federation and Hon. Minister of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment as well as his counterpart in the Federal Ministry of Health set up a Technical Committee to redress the pain of adjusting the CONHESS after eight and a half years of rigmarole. This assignment was concluded in December, 2021 and for reasons of manipulations by the FMOH, all efforts to implement the report of the Technical Committee have been stalled in the last eight months.

“As a matter of fact, a meeting of the Technical Committee called 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 N200 billion service-wide vote which is earmarked to take care of exigencies in the system including N80 billion provided for adjustment of CONHESS as was done for CONMESS for JOHESU members and other needs in the health sector.

The document also said that “despite the payment of withheld April and May, 2018 salaries for JOHESU members, some withheld salaries for our members in FMC, Owerri; JUTH and LUTH who had challenges with their management are still unpaid. This development is worrisome as it continues to generate entropy in those facilities.

“In December, 2021, the federal government finally announced what was due to each cadre of Health worker which has been circularised by the National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission (NSWIC). The health group expressed disappointment that the federal government has not commenced the disbursement of these allowances eight months after. They also frowned at the disclosure by the negotiating team that the fund was grossly insufficient to cater for the risk factors inherent in care-provisioning in any functional health system.

JOHESU/AHPA also urged the Presidency to 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 the health sector,” it stated.

The bodies also cited the implementation of Pharmacy Consultant Cadre as 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 and demanded that the anomalies be corrected.

“The Consultant Cadre was first approved by the National Council on Establishment in 2011. Various attempts were made to sabotage this approval but we held on until the office of the Head of Service of the Federation confirmed to the FMOH on March 6, 2020 in a letter ref no. HCSF/SPSO/ODD/NCE/CND.100/S.8/39 that the NCE had approved Pharmacist Consultant Cadre again.

“The FMOH referred to the Salaries & Wages Commission in a letter of May 13, 2020 ref no. C.400/11/217/T/21 to develop the appropriate benefit package based on the memo from the HOSOF.

“The National Salaries and Wages Commission responded to the FMOH via a letter of June 17, 2020 Ref. no. SWC/S/04/S.218/T//9. In the letter, the NSWIC stated that “the salary structure of Medical Professionals including Consultant Pharmacists have since been developed.”

They insisted that “Consultant Pharmacists are entitled to be paid relevant allowances including Specialist Allowances as contained in Circular No. SWC/S/04/S.410/Vol 11/349 dated 8th December, 2009.

“It is necessary to inform all stakeholders that various consultative meetings of the JOHESU/AHPA leadership and NEC are slated from the week of 20th August and 7th September, 2022 and report on the suspended JOHESU respect after President Buhari’s intervention would be discussed.

“We respectfully call on the Presidency to immediately prevail on the FMOH and FML&E in particular to resolve all contending issues promptly,’’ said Comrade Ajirotu. (THISDAY: Text, excluding headline)

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