For a countless number of times, healthcare providers, especially in the public service, had embarked on strikes for obvious reasons, but the implications have not been palatable for both the sector and citizens as SUNNY IDACHABA writes.
The background
Although health workers under the auspices of Joint Health Sectors Union (JOHESU) recently suspended its seven-day warning strike over a week ago, the effects of that strike may have left sour marks on the nation’s health sector and citizens judging from its antecedents in the past.
For instance, it was in the wake of the strike embarked upon by health workers in the public sector in August 2024 that an Abuja-based journalist, John Oba, died in a private hospital at Zone 4, in the Federal Capital Territory. This was after he suddenly took ill one early morning and from his Mpape residence, the closest government health facility to him was the Wuse General Hospital, but according to reports, on being taken to the hospital, those who brought him there said they were left unattended to for a long while because doctors were on strike.
As of the time the ailing Blueprint head of agric desk was finally moved to another nearest, but expensive private hospital located within the vicinity, he gave up the ghost because for a long, there was no health worker to attend to his health condition. Today, John’s story only resonates because of the damage incessant strikes cause, not only to the industry, but to the lives of many Nigerians.
Not only the late John; in 2021, Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Daikwo lost their only daughter to the cold hands of death in Nyanya because, again, health workers were on strike. Unknown to the couple, they rushed their two-year-old daughter to the Nyanya General Hospital under an emergency situation with the hope of resuscitating her only to be told that health workers were on strike. As the little baby was gasping for breath that night, before another private hospital could be located, she died that night on the lap of the grieving mother. Painfully, the couple has not had any children since then.
These are a few examples among the sordid experiences of Nigerians whenever health workers embark on strike. Justifiable as it may look for health workers to embark on strike in order to press home for their demands, most times, it leaves a devastating toll on the citizens.
The recent strike
That was why when last week, the National Executive Council of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) announced the suspension of its seven–day warning strike which commenced on Oct 26, 2024, it came as a relief to Nigerians for several, obvious reasons.
According to a Communiqué by JOHESU led by its national chairman, Kabiru Minjibir and national secretary, Martin Egbanubi, about suspending the strike, six weeks grace was given to the federal government to meet its obligations to the union.
“NEC-in-Session after extensive deliberations resolved the suspension of the seven-day warning strike effective from midnight, Thursday, 31st October, 2024 in the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and in general public interest.
“A timeline of six weeks is hereby given to the federal government to meet all her obligations contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” the union stated.
As of the time of filing in this report, it’s not clear if those obligations are on the way to being met as the union executives were not accessible for comments, but the prevailing peace in the health sector at the moment is akin to that of the graveyard.
What is worrisome is that the union noted further that, “Indefinite strike action shall be the next option if the Expanded NEC of JOHESU is not satisfied with the federal government’s responses to the implementation of her obligations contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).”
Blueprint Weekend’s investigation revealed that the bone of contention between the union and federal government is the immediate implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), the payment of 25% arrears review for the period of June to December 2023, an upward review of retirement age for health workers, a tax waiver on healthcare workers’ allowances and the immediate payment of Covid-19 inducement hazard allowances.
Concerns
There is no doubt that the health sector, especially public services had suffered serious haemorrhage in the last couple of years with the exodus of health personnel to other countries for greener pastures thereby causing serious brain drain in the sector.
Worried by this development, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has noted that the progress in the health sector since independence has been marred by poor remuneration, outdated equipment and migration of health professionals.
NMA President, Prof Bala Audu, noted that despite producing skilled healthcare professionals for both Nigeria and the global community since independence, the sector continued to face significant challenges. He spoke just as Nigeria marked her 64th independence anniversary last month.
He said that equipping hospitals with modern infrastructure had become a major challenge due to high costs, along with the burden of maintaining and repairing outdated equipment.
“I think our greatest and saddest moments are those where we see a significant proportion of our highly skilled health professionals across all age brackets leaving this country to go and practice in other countries, for many reasons that we believe can be solved in this country.”
While giving a breakdown of its statistics, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare Alih Pate said in the last five years, about 16,000 doctors have left the country’s 300,000 health professionals. Of that figure, he said 90,000 of them were registered doctors but of this number, only 55,000 licensed doctors remained in the country to meet the health needs of over 180 million people.
According to him, the health sector is barely managing and that the government is taking steps to expand training and work environments for health care workers.
Likely solutions
In proffering solutions to curb the incidences of medical tourism abroad, the NMA president said a well-equipped work environment, adequate security for life and property and proper remuneration is important to retain healthcare workers rather than losing them to other climes.
According to the outcome of a poll conducted by two healthcare researchers, Obinna Ositadimma Oleribe and Deborah Udofia, on how to minimise the number of healthcare worker strikes in the country at any given year, respondents were of the opinion that government should respect agreements and implement the Nigerian National Health Act.
Also, hospital management and leaders should run an all-inclusive government with better communication strategies. To a greater extent, healthcare workers should be actively involved in decision making and management levels while salaries and wages should be improved and paid on time, even as infrastructure and training systems should be improved upon.
In the meantime, Prof Bala, the NMA president, has urged the federal government to implement existing policies in the health sector, especially the National Policy on Health Workforce Retention, if it still wants to retain the few doctors and other health workers left in the country.
According to the association, the government does not need any new policy to address the exodus of medical personnel to other countries that is gradually crippling the health sector but just the implementation of the existing ones.
He said unless the government improves the remuneration of doctors and provides them with equipment and tools to work with, it would be difficult to retain them.
Blueprint Weekend gathered that in August 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s health human resources.
This was announced by the Minister of Health, Prof. Pate, on his X handle.
He said, “The National Policy on Health Workforce Migration addresses the critical challenges facing Nigeria’s health human resources. As the AU Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership, Mr. President’s commitment to a resilient and robust healthcare system is powerfully reflected in this forward-looking policy.”
Strikes, for whatever reason and under any guise, do nobody any good; rather it portrays a decadent system that is largely unguarded by applied policies and abiding promises.
