This is a rejoinder to this topic that made FP earlier today

https://www.nairaland.com/4459289/strike-johesu-selfish-dont-know

'The Author' = the writer of the piece of the link above

The author started with masked dishonesty, the bolded shows that. You are most probably in school aspiring to be a doctor. So it is spirit de corps. That is how most of JOHESU antagonists do. Very dishonest bunch of people. Say you are a student doctor, no need to put tongue in cheek. After all, your teachers are at the crux of what JOHESU is fighting against.

OgaInnocent:


Before I continue, I thought it worthwhile to introduce myself, so that you take cognizance of my biases, if any. I am NOT a medical doctor, at least for now, thus, suffer not yourself in trying to tag this as "espirit des corps" game.

Firstly, I agree with the first main point. Doctors are grossly underpaid in Nigeria. Likewise other health workers. This is why over 70% seek greener pastures outside Nigeria. Another startling issue is the fact that reports keep coming on Nigerian public hospitals being understaffed. Yet, there are unemployed doctors and other health workers roaming the streets of Nigeria. Yes, unemployed medical doctors, while most are underemployed struggling to make headway for themselves.

ON HOSPITAL HIERARCHY

This point is where the author continued from the hypocrisy he started at the beginning of his article. I don’t know what our Nigerian doctors know that the medical doctors of advanced countries like US, UK, Canada etc don’t know because there are consultants in other health fields apart of medicine in those countries. Please check the links below.
Consultant Pharmacists in UK https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consultant_pharmacist
Consultant Physiotherapists in UK http://www.csp.org.uk/frontline/article/view-top
NO HEALTH WORKER (MEDICAL LAB SCIENTIST, NURSE, PHARMACIST, e.t.c) IS COMPETING WITH DOCTORS IN NIGERIA. This is what they say to other Nigerians to seek sympathy. Healthcare service is a team work of several specialists, but the doctors want ONLY THEM to reach pinnacle in the health sector. THERE ARE SPECIALISTS IN EVERY FIELD. Agriculture, Engineering etc. But in the Nigerian Medical sector, the doctors want only for themselves the consultancy level. Being a consultant pharmacist doesn’t translate into competing with a consultant medical doctor about who directs the patient management. The consultant pharmacist will only come in when his expertise is needed. Just like many different consultant medical doctors come in to manage one patient. A diabetic patient who is primarily an endocrinologist patient may be seen by a nephrologist, chemical pathologist, podiatrist, ophthalmologist etc. There fact that there are other health consultants does not preclude consultant medical doctors from being the head or coordinator of patient management. You can never hear any other health professional about coordinating patient management. We simply want to contribute our expertise at the highest level we can.

About who heads the hospital, this is a point where other health professionals differ from medical doctors. Medical doctors will let down tools and cry to heaven if any other health professional is made to head any health agency, parastatal, ministry or hospitals. They claim only them must head because they are the superiors in the health sector. Just like any other institution or organization, the best persons to lead the health institutions are persons with good management skills, be it a medical doctor or a social worker. Most health institutions in Europe, US and Canada choose their heads based on sound management skills, and not on the degree background. Most of these heads are not even medical professionals. And when they are, they’re not exclusively doctors. Please see below examples.

A big UK Hospital’s CEO is a Nurse http://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/about-us/organisation/board-of-directors

Most Hospital CEO’s in US have no educational background in health https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/08/60-of-the-ceos-of-americas-great-health-systems-have-no-educational-background-in-health-care.html

In Nigeria, only they must head any health institution o. We’re protesting the sole headship of health institutions by medical doctors because they have contributed to the rot in the health sector, and also marginalized other health professionals. For no reason at all, many teaching hospitals have employed medical doctors’ year-in-year-out while placing other health professionals on locum contracts.

For further reading, please read this article wrote in 2013 and referenced by the Guardian in 2015.

https://www.abusidiqu.com/health-sector-strike-nma-has-lost-focus-by-adetoro-taofik/

https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/cover/shopping-for-next-health-minister/

Nurse vs Nurse Dichotomy

The claim by the author shows he is very ignorant about the issue. BNsc. holders and RN holders are paid the same in gov’t hospitals. It is the lies that get me most. No nurse is asking for doctor’s salary. NMA negotiated a better salary with FG and it was implemented. Other Health professionals did not object, even supported because we know everyone is underpaid. Now, other Health professionals under the aegis of JOHESU negotiated with FG but the MoH, headed by medical doctors, refused to implement it. NMA kicked against it with lies like the one the author said about nurses. Why should it be so? Why can’t NMA face their own negotiations and leave other health professionals with theirs?

Medical Laboratory Scientist vs Medical Laboratory Technology

The author is so ignorant on things he wrote that I fear the type of medical doctor he will become. How can you write on what you know nothing about? Firstly, Medical Laboratory Technologist are not HND holders. There is no such course in the polytechnics. MLT is offered in School of Health Technology and they graduate with diploma. Secondly, they are assistants to Medical Laboratory Scientists, so yes MLS is superior to MLT. Thirdly, No MLS wants equality with doctors. Their job is already a handful. They only want their own rights taken away by medical doctors.

Medical Lab Scientist vs Microbiologist

At this point, I now see the author’s source of anger against Med Lab Scientists and JOHESU at large. Sorry, but that’s the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made for the safety of Nigerians. No one must operate a medical laboratory unless you’re a medical laboratory scientist trained in a university for five years, then undergone a compulsory one year internship in a tertiary institution before going for NYSC. How can you read microbiology and expect to work in the medical laboratory? This type of ignorance has been with you for a long time. It is what led you to write that piece full of half-truths and falsehood.

Again I will like to educate the author, doctors only make presumptive diagnosis. Not diagnosis. Full diagnosis is only made when you get your laboratory results. Please don’t go and write this “That you can see bacteria in urine in the lab does not make you diagnose a patient of infection. A doctor makes 95% of the diagnosis from history and physical examination, just right in the consultation room” in your exam because you will fail o. Over 70% of medical data is generated in the lab. Everyone knows this.

The WAY OUT
Let no health profession subjugate any other profession. Every health profession is distinct and as such, should be allowed to be so. I agree with the author that everyone should have a rethink, and be human. And like the author said, everyone needs salary increase, starting from teachers to doctors to JOHESU. The problem is getting it right at the electoral polls, and using best standards in choosing the headship of any health institution.

princewale4fun@gmail.com