Nigerian Medical Association Rivers State shared page:

I wonder what kind of country is it that that does not accord due recognition to
hard work, extra input and skill-acquisition. I wonder which kind of country is it
that condones and even encourages mediocrity. This is what happens in a
system that is led and governed by people who think education is all about
getting a piece of paper called certificate, and thus they can as well buy it(since
there is no use spending many precious years for the same \'piece of paper\'). In
developed countries, there is an incentive for hard work, excellence and added
specialization.
When you graduate with first class in any field (especially professional carriers),
many of the choicest and highest paying agencies (who value good stuff) hustle
to employ you, with mouth-watering offers. As a first class graduate, you sit
down and choose which company you are going to accept their invitation.
Imagine sitting down in your house, on your day of graduation with simultaneous
employment offers from Shell, Chevron, and Nestle etc. Wouldn’t that be
enough motivation for more hard work? In Nigeria, many first class graduates
don\'t have a job. When they attend an interview, the 3rd class & 4th class
candidates (who probably clubbed and flexed daily in university) get the jobs
because they have a god-father in ASO rock or they have rich sponsors who
can pay the exorbitant fee for \'employment form\', or they
know the CEO. Thus most of our Employers choose mediocrity over excellence.
Moreover, the people who didnt have enough patience and discipline to study
hard in school end up being Politicians and getting highly paid while the best
brains languish strolling from one interview room to another and finally settle for
something far less dignifying/rewarding(with pea-nuts) to keep body and soul
together.

If you ask my opinion, Teachers and Lecturers should be paid higher than
POLITICIANS. This canker worm of glorifying and encouraging mediocrity is
also in the health sector and is about to get worse if not nipped in the bud now.
Now, look at the scenario. Neurosurgeons and some General surgeons spend an
average of 18 hours DAILY in the hospital (from ward to ward, to Emergency
section, to theatre and to ICU etc.) because of the nature of their specialty.
Sometimes they spend 3 straight days at the hospital without attending to his/
her personal/family stuff. This is excluding his plenty hours of reading and
studying to keep abreast with large volumes of current stuff. In addition, their
years of training are different (some a minimum of 6 years, some minimum of 8
years). The Anaesthesiologist, the Obstetrician, Paediatrician and Internal
Physician also spend similar, though less number of hours in the hospital.

In Developed countries, they are paid accordingly to reflect the extra hours,
effort and time of training. Also some specialties like Ophthalmology and
Anaesthesiology, Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat) have
higher rates of litigation and other risks, so these factors are considered in their
remuneration. Thus they get a higher pay than the Paediatrician and General
Practitioner.

In Nigerian Government Hospitals, all these doctors are paid equally! No
consideration for extra working hours and specialization. I don\'t think it is fair
enough. It is practically because the legislators or whoever that sits down to
decide the salary structure of Nigerians Professionals don\'t know or they don\'t
care about brilliance and extra inputs required in becoming Professionals &
Specialists in the different areas of study. I remember how a Chairman of a
Health-committee in a FGN office said in a public forum/press conference, that
Lab-scientist see patients and make diagnosis, the Nurses treat the patient, the
Pharmacist prescribes the drug, while the doctor only examines the patient.
That shows the depth of knowledge shown by our leaders and legislators! It\'s
obvious who must have fed him with that kind of purulent stuff.

Now, before a medical doctor becomes a CONSULTANT, He/she spends
extra six to ten years of study, research and series of examinations to gain extra
skill in a particular specialty. THIS EXCLUDES THE SIX TO EIGHT
YEARS OF MEDICAL SCHOOL. He may even go ahead and sub-
specialize in a particular sub-specialty. That is a CONSULTANT. No matter
how long a doctor stays practising medicine and surgery, if he does not go
through extra training and specialization in approved institutions and being
certified by a board of specialists, he wont be called a CONSULTANT. No
cutting of corners. There are minimum requirements & qualifications. Now the
current brouhaha in the Health Sector is that some other health workers says
they want to get to the peak of their career by answering Consultants without
extra training and specialization. They want to get the same pay-package,
hazard allowance, call duty and rub shoulders with the medical doctors.
However, they dont want to spend extra working hours (without overtime pay)
like the doctors. They dont want to spend extra time, sweat, resources, and face
more hazards & risks involved in specialist training before attaining the status of
CONSULTANT. Is that reasonable? Currently, hazard allowance is 5,000 for
all health staff (those who receive it) in Teaching Hospital irrespective of status
(both doctors and non-clinical staff). Do they face the same hazard? Don't you
think the cleaner who cleans up blood and vomit of patients should get more
hazard allowance then the administration staff who sits in an air-conditioned
office till the close of work? I know there are consultant Pharmacists and Nurses
in some other countries like Canada, but they are not in the Hospital settings
(you can Google it). They have special training and are thus recognized for it.
Why do these professionals want to cut corners? Is it not because they are in a
country where hard work is made less relevant and mediocrity is the order of
the day. If they succeed in this fight of cutting corners to the peak, then our
health system will be plagued with substandard Consultants. Since, you can
become a consultant by just years of experience, what is the need of spending
extra energy and resources in specializing when you can just wait or lobby to
become one? A health system is made of different professionals and workers
who work together as a TEAM (Together Everybody Achieves More) for the
good and well-being of the patient. Remember that
anybody can be a patient. This TEAM has a Leader who is the Medical
Doctor. When the other members of the team fail to recognize this leader, the
team achieves less. Now when a Team has more than One Leader who are
struggling for status, the team is split into less productive units and the patient
suffers. Paramedics should not be struggling for status and relevance with
doctors. It's not appropriate. Nobody is stopping you from getting to your peak.
You must not see patients and answer Consultant to get to your peak.

The Developed countries we keep referring to have maintained the hierarchy
and status-relativity in their health system. If JOHESU wins this lobby, one
day in Nigeria, court clerks will ask to be Judges (after all they are graduates),
Police will ask to be Chief of Defence Staff, The Chemist can answer
Pharmacist, the auxiliary nurse can ask to be Chief Matron (after all she has 30
yrs experience), a recruit soldier can ask to be General (after fighting several
battles) etc. Nobody is looking down on any profession. They all have their
relevance and limits.
Professionals should maintain their relevance and not ask for that of others.

LET THIS SQUABBLE STOP PLEASE. If there is a fight to be fought, it
is with the Nigerian Government and Leaders, who are supposed to use our
resources appropriately to improve health-care delivery to the masses,
encourage hard work and reward each person accordingly.

By Kennedy N.

Thanks!!! This is front page material.