RESIDENT DOCTORS STRIKE: COST OF ARBITRARINESS

By Akingbade Thomas

A studied observation of registered unions in Nigeria, revealed groups of workers, who are exploited freely by their union leaders. The leadership of workers unions, are micro samples of failed leadership system, in our collective existence as a nation.

The exco members, of workers unions, are as corrupt and detached from the real welfare of the workers and the clients of the workers, as any corrupt leadership in Nigerian society. I know a junior worker in transport department, who found himself in workers union politics. Today, he's as financially rich, as any senator in Nigeria. Courtesy of corrupt self enrichment, that defines union leaders in Nigeria.

The health sector in Nigeria, isn't exempted from the counterproductive and rot perpetuating activities of union leaders, that exist in most sector of our national life. The NMA (Nigeria medical association), NARD (national association of resident Doctors) and in mischievous and corrupt connivance with ministry health (MOH) , are the alpha and Omega of all factors, that are responsible for the rot in our Healthcare services.

The other unions in the health sector, are creation of reaction, to criminal injustices by unions of the physicians, to their legitimate rights and aspirations. As expected, the leaders of these ones too, are equally marooned in quest, that will never create good Healthcare services for Nigerians. Courtesy of inept and corrupt ministry of health.

To the crux of my piece. The physicians are mostly folks, who are blighted by selfish pursuits, likable to a man, carrying elephant on his head, yet contending with hunter that killed cricket.

According to the scheme of service, the entry grade level for physicians is 12. And that of other medical professionals (Pharmacists, physiotherapists, medical lab scientists etc) is 09. The Civil service career for both terminates on level 17.

The physicians progress from level 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 to 17. While others, move from level 09, 10, 12,......to 17. Level 11, is skipped in the scheme of service of the other medical professionals. With this, it takes the physicians 15 years, to get promoted to level 17. While others attain level 17 after 21 years. This disparity, was justified on the difference in job evaluation results, for both groups professionals.

In the usual oppressive and malicious tendencies of the physicians, few years back, they began to grumble and throwing tantrum. They started to question the rationale behind the skipping of level 11 for non-physicians. Not satisfied with the explanation they got, they started malicious agitation. They asked the MOH, to either scrap the skipping or introduce skipping into their scheme of service.

Then came Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, the minister of health, under the inept government of GEJ. Who woke up one morning, and issued a unilateral (without consultation with department of establishment or national salaries, incomes and wages commission) circular to chief medical directors (CMD) of federal health institutions, asking them to scrap skipping.

The medical professionals affected by the crass and malicious arbitrariness of Prof Chukwu, got the silly circular, reversed by industrial court.

Since then, the physicians have been asking that skipping be introduced to their scheme of service. NMA and NARD have made this demand of skipping; the very demand that they created, out of pure malice and craving for primitive and unjustifiable earning, part of other selfish demands they bandy around.

This is the picture, of how the physicians in government employment and officials of MOH, have over the years, created needless unrest in health sector, which has cost us effective, efficient and affordable health services.

As long as the physicians, insist that the MBBS certificate, endowed them the requisite knowledge and experience, required to provide resourceful and effective administrative leadership, in the health sector, the hope of a working Healthcare services, will remain a hopeless one.

Whatever conditions and terms of employment, into the civil service, that will engender effectiveness, efficiency and productivity, will have to be brought to bear, on Healthcare employees, before a working Healthcare services can be achieved.

#epihanic