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PUNCH: Towards Resolving Health Sector Crisis In Nigeria by skabber2: 5:12pm On Jul 08, 2014 |
The World Health Organisation as far back as 1948 defined health as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The unfortunate presumption about health practice is that Physicians are the only group of professionals that render health services and that others are helping hands. Derogatory words like ancillary, paramedical and supportive staff are often used to address other health professionals like physiotherapists, pharmacists, nurses, medical laboratory scientists, dieticians, occupational therapists, medical social workers, chiropractors, osteopaths, speech pathologists and audiologists. These descriptive words are a misnomer as these health professionals have their distinct training in universities, lasting five years and one year of internship, in most cases, and are by no means helping hands to the medical practitioners. However, all the health professionals work together towards the full recovery of patients and each professional intervenes as the need arises. For example, a multiple injured person who is brought to the hospital will benefit from the services of medical officers, surgeons and some/all the health professionals mentioned above. The same applies to patients who come down with neurological conditions like stroke and there are myriads of health conditions that require multidisciplinary approach. It is not all conditions that are amenable to medication and surgery. From the foregoing, it is evident that no singular approach/discipline can make someone healthy. Therefore, health provision requires team work. The prevailing circumstances in the Nigerian health sector and disposition of the majority of medical practitioners and some members of the general public, however, do not reflect the team approach in health care delivery. Public health facilities are built around medical doctors. Physical structures like residential apartments, lounges and call rooms are provided, in most of the government-owned hospitals, for the medical doctors and almost none for other health team members. Wherever such facilities exist for non-medical doctors, they are always of lower quality. Privileges are skewed in favour of medical doctors in terms of wide margin emoluments, appointment into administrative positions both in civil and public service, which require formal education in relevant disciplines and God-given abilities but unfortunately restricted to the medical practitioners, like Provost, Chairman Medical Advisory Committee, Chief Medical Director, Chairman, Health Management Board and Commissioner and Minister of Health. These enable the medical practitioners rise very high in life in terms of socio-economic status. As of now in Nigeria, there are medical doctors who are state governors and senators. The income and connections they get from their previous privileges are undoubtedly what they plough into aspiring to political offices and establishing private health facilities. How many of the other health professionals can one find in such exalted positions or owning private health facilities in Nigeria? They are left to rise through the ranks in the civil service which can only pay the bills of basic necessities of life through shrewdness in financial management. On the other hand, an average patient sees non-medical doctors as helping hands and subordinates who have to carry out the advice of the doctor to the letter and often times one hears “the doctor says/ the doctor has said that”. A doctor may prescribe a pair of crutches for a patient but a physiotherapist, based on sound clinical judgment, may consider a walking frame suitable for the same patient. It is sometimes a Herculean task to convince some patients to get something better than what a doctor has prescribed especially things that are not within the discipline of a medical doctor. The health professionals whose disciplines are supplementary to medicine over the years have employed all civilised means provided by the laws of the land to correct the above mentioned lopsidedness in the Nigerian health sector, but the Nigerian doctors on the other hand employ illegal and suppressive strategies, mudslinging and constantly maintain “don’t give them” attitude towards other health professionals. Examples abound but citing the clamour for four deputy CMAC, by the Nigerian medical doctors, which is not in the enabling law governing federal hospitals (Decree 10 of 1985), scuttling 2008 job evaluation report and calling other health professionals “thieves” for demanding for skipping of CONHESS 10 are sufficient to buttress this point. Ironically, there is intermarriage among the health professionals. So, what the Nigerian medical doctors are doing is tantamount to self-annihilation. It should be their joy and desire that as we rubbed shoulders in the past, going through the same education up till the third year in the universities, we should also rub shoulders in the high places of life. The following are hereby suggested towards permanent resolution of the crisis in the Nigerian health sector: 1. The Federal Government should accept the 2008 job evaluation report and use it to remunerate all health workers appropriately. There may be some differences in remunerations but they should not be wide as they presently obtain. Subjects should not be allowed to dictate to the authorities. 2. Distribution of existing scarce resources amongst health workers e.g. accommodation within the hospitals, lounges. There is nothing bad if health workers live and socialise together. This will facilitate interaction amongst them and patients’ welfare could be discussed in such places other than paper communication that is presently predominant. Government should also provide and fund residency training programmes for all categories of health workers. 3. Equal appointment of all categories of health workers into administrative posts in both civil and public service. 4. The Federal Government should emulate the standards obtainable in developed countries and give all health professionals their rightful place. 5. Government should enact and enforce health regulatory law that will be acceptable to all health stakeholders. 6. In publishing and broadcasting, relevant ethics must be maintained at all times. Any claim by any professional body should be double-checked with the appropriate body/ bodies before publication and when an unwholesome statement is being made, the speaker should be cautioned by the interviewer. 7. Durable state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic equipment should be installed in all the government hospitals. 1 Like |
Re: PUNCH: Towards Resolving Health Sector Crisis In Nigeria by iahmed(m): 8:53pm On Jul 08, 2014 |
On point! |
Re: PUNCH: Towards Resolving Health Sector Crisis In Nigeria by Emulti(m): 9:19pm On Jul 08, 2014 |
Dats all. I tell u d truth, d physicians are vry arrogant nd as such will resist evry attempt for d above facts to b implemented. |
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