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.

http://www.punchng.com/opinion/towards-resolving-health-sector-crisis-in-nigeria/

How much is JOHESU paying Punch?

Its high time NMA responds to such blatant lies. So the salary drs earn is what they use to become senators.

This write up needs to be dissected and trashed.

Its a pity a large portion of the populace will read and believe the lies told.


Punch punch all for a plate of porridge journalism has been thrown to the dogs. Which if the aforementioned issues did the writer investigate before printing this nonsense.

Thank you punch that is the way america, uk,canada, china, to mention but a few solve their health problems

armadeo: Its high time NMA responds to such blatant lies. So the salary drs earn is what they use to become senators.

This write up needs to be dissected and trashed.

Its a pity a large portion of the populace will read and believe the lies told.


Punch punch all for a plate of porridge journalism has been thrown to the dogs. Which if the aforementioned issues did the writer investigate before printing this nonsense.

The truth is bitter

yes

eejo: The truth is bitter

yes it is.