The age-long controversy between the Nigerian Medical
Association and the National Union of Allied Health
Professionals over who should bear the title of a
‘consultant’ appeared to have been laid to rest with the
Federal Government granting the approval for health
workers to become consultants in the various fields.
The government has issued a circular to announce the
development.
The news is however coming at a time the Joint Health
Sector Union, a unified body for all associations in the
health care sector, said it was warming up for a fresh
strike.
The Vice President of JOHESU, Mr. Felix Faniran, in an
interview with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, said, “We
held a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of
the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, on Thursday; the
government only released one of the many circulars we
told them to release. The one they released was the one
in respect of consultancy status which we say they should
correct and which they have now corrected.
“Other health care professionals are recognised as
consultants and that it is their professional bodies that
have the right to dictate who should be a consultant or not
and not the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and that
such people shall be qualified to receive specialist
allowance. That is what we have gotten.”
He however said that JOHESU would be embarking on a
fresh strike because doctors had been receiving new
salary structure to the detriment of other health workes.
Faniran said, “We are in the same sector but they are
enjoying new salary while we have not gotten the circular
yet, let alone implement it. Also, this is already November,
budgets have been prepared in all institutions and ours
have been prepared on old rate, so we can no longer wait.
“Since the government don’t have an answer to this and
the arrears of CONHESS 10 skipping, they also have no
answer to it. It was supposed to be paid in 2013, they
could not pay, we waited till 2014, they said it was not in
the budget for 2014 and that we have to wait till 2015, we
are tired of all these.
“On the issue of retirement age, we don’t need to argue on
this one. There has been a government White Paper in
1981 that whatever is happening in the universities should
be the same condition of service in the university teaching
hospitals.
“So, since the university is already enjoying 65 to 70 years
retirement, it should be made automatic to the university
teaching hospitals, since they are sister institution"

personally, I think it's good for the Nigeria's health system as it will leads to competition and better service delivery. more so, it can also leads to professional growth and development.