₦airaland Forum

Whao, this is unusual. This is the first time I read through comments and not see a single like or share. I'm sure there's a big confusion in the APC camp

Why is everybody here acting as if we didn't go to school? Why did the person who snapped this picture not snap those who graduated from the WAR College? We don't need to know the students who enrolled but those who graduated, seeing his name amongst those who graduated can at least give us the benefit of doubt.

Who said Tinubu is not wise, I'm sure he and his party knew this all along that's why they fielded a professor as his deputy to guide him. There is no doubt Nigeria is going 10 years back under GMB because this is not military era where you lead with guns.

We need someone who can think and take wise decisions on how to move Nigeria forward. Nigerians should reject another rule of Vice Presidents acting a as the president while the supposed president just sits there doing nothing or claiming tomb fighting corruption.

If GMB wants to come back just to fight corruption and insurgency because of his military training, I will say Nigerians should reject him because Nigeria needs more than that to move forward.
We need someone who can come up with policies that will handle the issue of corruption and not using force by jailing corrupt officials. We need someone who can come up with policies on how to handle the issue or terrorism and militancy and not by killing or bombing the whole State or North because of the bad elements(as in the case of Odi in Bayelsa State)

GEJ still remains the best man for the job.

Good

and GMB did not apologise to Nigerians, neither did he warn his supporters nor compensate the family of the slain corper.
There is God oh

and he wants to lead Nigerians. Ok na

In the South South
Bayelsa
Rivers
Delta
Edo

South East
Abia
Imo,
Enugu
Anambra
Ebony

South West
Ondo
O sun


Add rest

sucreblazing:
sorry Mr president we cant wait for another years of uncertain future! !!!





change is important

SMH, what change are you waiting For? Are you in Nigeria at All? You guys just type change without saying what you want. GEJ has started that change you are asking for, CHANGE also means TRANSFORMATION, don't let APC deceive you.

Wait a bit, except the change you want is the remains from the money GMB used to purchase his form.

Omehia said my mind on GMB taking Nigerians backwards.
Buhari fought corruption with guns, it's different under democracy,
it's also different when you come to tackling insurgency because you can't just order the army to go bombard a group of people not considering the lives that will be lost.

To me, GEJ has upper hand, so GMB should not deceive people on past glory which he'll not be able to surpass in this dispensation.
GEJ till 2019.

They call themselves progressives but in reality, are retrogressing.
Bringing back someone who was prominent in the 80 s to change Nigeria is a sign they lack the ability Don't be deceived, the fact that he did well by fighting corruption years ago as a military head of state does not guarantee he will as a democrat.

I pity for Nigerians.
If you guys feel APC government will be progressive, you are still a learner. look at the calibre of people in APC. How can you call a team of old cargos, mostly recycled from PDP(because GEJ lead federal government policies are not in their favour) a party of progressives?
Don't be deceived, putting religion and tribe aside, APC will only take us backwards. We all know that Nigeria is a rich country but only the so called few are enjoying our riches. We now have a President who has promised to change that and is doing that and has in the process stepped on so many toes who do not support it and you want to bring them Back?

Pls let's be wise, GEJ has promised equality in Nigeria, most of the old cargos who have taken up oil Wells, who have looted this country, built Businesses abroad and is trying hard to make sure nothing works in Nigeria are the people you want to bring Back? Pls Nigerians, think, I said think. If GBM wins, do you think he'll deliver better than GEJ given the current situation of things in the Country? GEJ has tried despite all the distractions and attempts at frustrating his Government, let's join hand to say NO to backwardness.

These old cargoes in APR are desperate to come back because of their selfish interest, don't forget, the Licenses of Most Oil Blocks are owned by most of those old cargoes, and come 2015, GEJ has vowed to withdraw them so they are fighting to remove GEJ so they can retain them by supporting GMB.

Let's Stand Behind GEJ, and support Him through this process. He has done relatively well and deserves to finish His transformation Agenda.

Where is the famous Dr Benson Carson?

I have always doubted the authenticity of this man's words as regards the Christian faith and sometimes, I wonder if he's a christian, and most times I don't believe in what he says even if he's the Pope because I'm very well aware of the way through which got such position.

IS THIS MAN SAYING THE MIND OF GOD?
I doubt if he is. The Bible made it very clear about heaven and earth. If this man alleges that there is no hell, he's also saying there's no heaven. This makes me to ask if he's a christian because even Jesus Christ referred to heaven and hell. In fact when Jesus Christ died, he was sent to hell because the sin of the world was laid upon him. When his attornment for sin was accepted, he fought with Lucifer and won and was then raised back to life.
Papa Abraham was sent to Aedis(a part of hell where righteous people inhabited till after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) and the Rich man was in hell.

Now, there no doubt God is a God of Love and Jesus Christ himself did not judge the woman who was caught in the act of adultery but said we should forgive in order to bring them out of darkness into light, because if that woman dies in her sin, she'll go to hell and it is not his will that any man perish. But for those whom we are not able to save from destruction before the judgement day of Christ, they will be sent to hell.

Brothers and sisters, there's heaven and there's hell, let's not be deceived by those

Collynzo29:
I thought you live in Uniport?
This section is right in front of you.

That Road is near completion, it has been successfully dualised, the second bridge has been constructed and it's currently been used, they are still repairing the old bridge.

GEJ is working. This administration has been the best I have witnessed so far under democracy. previously, government stops to work whenever elections are approaching, you see many abandoned projects because the government at hand is preparing for elections.
This has changed 66 der GEJ.

GOD bless GEJ, with a second term

JOETYNO:
Just interested in knowing who owns dat lovely truck pls!

The truck belongs to my brother, he lives in Portharcourt. Google Diseye Tantua

dongilly:
Hmmm......
Modified!
That should be Chally Boi or Chally Man! @list from d signs on d truck. My guess tho.

LOL, you got it wrong, that's my Bro's bike. He's the King of POP Art, from Portharcourt

rozey247: Read the post wel. It says the policy may be implemented on used cars(tokumbo) come january 2015.
Poor man no go dey see good car to drive again. Nah only inocent arbi nah inoson sef dem dey cal'am. We dnt even knw if d inocent is gonna be affordable to the lower class by then.
God we dey ur hand!!!

Omo don't worry, Tokunbo will always be available. By the time we Nigerians start using brand new cars and come to enjoy it, those that have the money will buy and use for one year and resell or dump it. Those who can't afford brand new ones will then get the Naija used ones which I guess will be same with the Imported Tokunbo if not better. And we can now have the opportunity to export them to other countries if we can't consume the Naija used cars. This will make cars cheap with time.

I welcome this new policy. Kudos to the transformation agenda of Mr President.

security lecture about to begin.

Live in Katsina Camp, the place has been messed up, bathroom and toilet dirty,
no wall sockets, no lightening points, in short, no light as I'm typing. settled in already, I was no 120 as at 4pm

Guam! !!
Guam! !!

its like 1650 for bus and 3050 for car from jabi park.

Joker 58, plsss are you a doctor, if yes plsss can I get your number, need to get some information from you. Thanks

Vision2045: have read some info about the state on NL and its all positive report from those that served there n still dere...re u in lagos?

Na, in Yenagoa, but currently in Ed State to pickup my callup letter

Same here bro, I'm posted to Katsina. Never been there before. plus anyone with any useful info about the Place?

Good news

There's no secrete to that, a man who does not understand the workings of a system can only try. what's even more proficient is for a doctor who studied health administration to manage the hospitals.

I'm a doctor and I took a course in health management during the course of my training which was also imbedded in the curriculum. Now this gives me an advantage even though I didn't study it in detail.

Medical schools should start introducing health management into the curriculum for medical doctors because most of us end up managing hospitals at one stage or the other in our lives. eg during Youth Service, we are posted to primary health centres in villages where we face the task of managing such centres.

Front page material.

The public has been so misinformed or does not know the difference between a doctor or nurse(esp male nurses), pharmacist, chemist, lab scientist or technician or due to lack of guidance that they go to chemist stores for treatment when they are ill.

It's a common thing to now see chemist stores hanging stethoscopes in a bid to deceive people into believing they can diagnose and dispense drugs to them and some of them end up worsening the condition of this unfortunate Nigerians before referring them to see the doctors . Some even die in the process.

The public needs to be educated on how the health care system works and health workers should also know their job designation and educate and guide the citizens aright.

STRIKE OF DEATHS AND TEARS
JULY 10, 2014 BY FOLASHADE ADEBAYO AND ARUKAINO
UMUKORO


Families of victims of the ongoing strike in the health sector take on doctors,
Folashade Adebayo and Arukaino Umukoro report

Mr. Sahr Kaingbanja, a Nigerian based in the United States, had always
known that life is fleeting, a beautiful rose that could wither at noon. But never
in his wildest imagination did he think that the events of Tuesday, July 1 could
have a place in reality.

On that day, his nephew, a newborn, died after he was reportedly removed from
an incubator by doctors bent on going on strike at a public hospital in Rivers
State.
The loss of the baby boy was particularly painful for Kaingbanja. Just a few
days old, the baby was born with some complications and needed a life-saving
surgery. His parents were told to make the initial N400,000 deposit before the
surgery could commence — which they did; and the baby survived that episode.
He was then transferred into an incubator where he remained until July 1 when
his parents alleged that he was removed from the life-saving equipment.
Kaingbanja is irked that doctors could remove a baby from an incubator just to
press home the demand for pay rise. On July 1, the first day of the latest strike,
Kaingbanja alleged, doctors demanded that the pending N89,000 balance be
paid. The new parents rushed to comply but that reportedly did not stop the
doctors from removing the baby from the incubator.
“Less than 30 minutes after the baby was taken out of the incubator, he died.
He was buried that evening. You can imagine how the parents felt and how they
are feeling even now. The parents lost money and also lost their son. Is that
behaviour on the part of the doctors not inhuman?
“It is nothing less than manslaughter and robbery. I believe these doctors should
be banned from practice anywhere in the world. This kind of medical
malpractice should be stopped in Nigeria. In the West, a doctor can kiss his/her
medical practice goodbye for such callousness and outright inhuman treatment
because he/she wants increase in pay,” lamented Kaingbanja in an email to one
of our correspondents.
Kaingbanja is not alone in his grief. He shares that lonely space with a
journalist, Mr. Kehinde Akinpelu, who lost his wife, Olayemi, on Thursday,
July 4, the third day of the indefinite nationwide strike embarked upon by the
Nigerian Medical Association.

Olayemi, 43, had complained of a persistent headache which no self-medication
could abate. From a private hospital, the couple headed for the General
Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, where doctors reportedly shooed them out
alongside other patients.
Unfortunately for Akinpelu, time is the most important factor in any medical
emergency. His wife had lost time and medical attention at the most crucial
period. Spirited efforts by doctors at Bowen Hospital, a private medical facility
in Ogbomoso, could not save the mother of five. She died with many unfulfilled
dreams, one of which was to see her grandchildren.
Akinpelu is hurt that the action of the doctors cost him his wife. He plans to sue
the doctors once the mourning period is over. “If it was not for the strike, my
wife would still be here with me. We have five children; the youngest is nine
years old. I don’t know how to cope. I am so bitter right now. People are dying
every day. I am definitely going to sue the doctors,” he said.

Where there is no doctor
Aside from the mortalities recorded around the nation, the strike has left many
Nigerians bedridden and in pain. While some resorted to private hospitals or
herbal practitioners for quick relief, others simply accepted their fate, hoping to
be alive when the strike is eventually called off. These Nigerians shared their
experiences with our correspondents.

The octogenarian
Pa Benjamin, in his seventies, has difficulty in walking. Since then, he has been
undergoing regular tests at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.
He was given another appointment to see the doctor last Thursday for a scan.
However, due to the NMA strike, Benjamin, who was brought to the hospital
by his daughter, was kept waiting for hours as there was no doctor to attend to
him.
After waiting for so long, Benjamin, who walks with the aid of a walking frame,
got tired and his daughter had to carry him on her back into the hospital ward.
They went to check if any of the doctors was around, but they found the X-ray
room locked.
“We were told earlier by a doctor that he might need surgery, but that a scan
and further tests would ascertain if he would need one or not,” the daughter told
one of our correspondents but declined to give further information.

Cancer patient who needs blood
In another ward, three relatives of critically ill Ms. Nkechi Oka had been
waiting for over five hours when one of our correspondents met them on
Thursday at LUTH. One of the relatives said Oka, who was lying down
heavily sedated in one of the wards, needed urgent medical attention but there
was no doctor available to see her because of the strike.
“She has cancer and needs two pints of blood urgently. We have been here at
the hospital since 6am. She took a heavy dose of sedative and needs to be
transfused with blood as soon as possible,” said one of them, who gave his name
as Ifeanyi Oka.

Another relation of hers who did not give his name lamented that his sister
would have been transfused with the needed blood since his blood group
matched hers if the doctors were available.
“I had to leave my workplace to come here. But we have no choice but to find a
way to get the pints of blood. We may have to go to a private hospital to get it
for her. But the problem is, even when we succeed in getting the blood, where
is the doctor to do the transfusion?” he asked, worried. Oka and her relatives
refused to allow their pictures to be taken.
Later, one of the few nurses around was seen making calls in a bid to convince a
doctor to come around to attend to the sick lady. An hour later, the calls had
yielded no fruit. “We are still waiting,” Ifeanyi said.
When our correspondents visited the other wards, they were almost empty,
except for a few nurses and other staff members. At the time, no patient was
seen at the accidents, surgery and emergency wards. “All of them were
discharged and sent home last week because of the strike,” one of the nurses
said.

No new patient
In the children’s ward, nurses offered skeletal services to a few patients. On
enquiry, the nurses said only critical cases were being attended to.
“We are not admitting new patients now because of the strike. Only cases that
involve severe convulsion and difficulty in breathing are being attended to. The
advice I would give to anyone who is sick or wants to bring a patient is to go to
a private hospital for now,” said the nurse; adding that they could only help
resuscitate a patient if it’s an emergency.
Stories of regret about the strike action abound across the length and breadth of
the country. Many Nigerians like Ifeanyi are already worried sick about the
episode. “This strike is becoming a hydra-headed problem. Not everyone can
afford private hospitals or go abroad whenever they fall sick,” he lamented,
while hoping that his sister would be lucky to get the treatment she urgently
needed then.

The doctors’ shopping list
At a news conference in Abuja in June, the NMA President, Dr. Kayode
Obembe, had said the association had to go on a nationwide strike after the
expiration of a two-week ultimatum it gave the Federal Government to meet its
24-point demand.

The doctors want government to honour its agreement on certain issues which
they claim are vital to the growth of the health sector. A scrutiny of the doctors’
demands shows an admixture of an improved welfare package, a supremacy
battle with other medical workers, as well as other matters relating to
administration in the health sector.
For instance, they demand that the Federal Government should immediately
appoint a Surgeon-General of the Federation and the extension of the National
Health Insurance Act to cover all Nigerians, as against the present 30 per cent
coverage. The NMA also wants government to set up a health trust fund for the
upgrading of all hospitals in Nigeria. It is also opposed to the appointment of
directors in hospitals but wants the retention of the post of the deputy chairman,
Medical Advisory Committee.

But a chunk of the 24-point demand of the NMA leans heavily on welfare
package. Among other things, the doctors want government to scrap Grade
Level 12 for medical and dental practitioners. The implication is that while other
civil servants move from grade 10 to 12, medical and dental practitioners would
move from grade 10 to 13.
Aside from wanting a hazard allowance of at least N100,000 per month for
medical doctors, they also insist on the immediate adjustment of doctors’ salaries
to maintain relativity and “the immediate payment of the arrears of the corrected
relativity for 22 years during which her members were short changed.’’
Furthermore, the NMA requests that clinical duty allowance for honorary
consultants be increased by 90 per cent of the Consolidated Medical Salary
Scale.

“Additionally, all doctors on CONMESS 3 and above must be paid specialist
allowance or its equivalent that is not less than 50 per cent higher than what is
paid to other health workers,” they added.
Now in its 11th day, the strike has defied negotiations, despite many meetings
with agents of the Federal Government. Arbitration led by the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Mr. Anyim Pius Anyim; the Minister for Health,
Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; and the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel
Uduaghan, has failed as the NMA maintained its hard stance.

Discordant tunes
A few days into the strike action, however, affiliates of the NMA are developing
cold feet. On Saturday, the Medical and Dental Consultant Association of
Nigeria opted out of the strike. Citing a National Industrial Court judgment
which stopped the Federal Government from the implementation of its agreement
with the Joint Health Sector Union, the MDCAN National President, Dr.
Steven Oluwole, urged its members to return to work.
“We note without reservations the unnecessary rivalry that has thrown the
health sector into endless cycles of strikes and threat of strikes. The MDCAN
complies fully with the restraining order on all parties, which is contained in the
ruling.

“In the same vein, MDCAN expects the other parties to the above suit to
comply fully with the terms of the restraining order. Branches of the MDCAN
and individual consultants should continue to provide services to patients but
should exercise their professional judgment as to the best care feasible and
practicable in the current situation,” Oluwole said.
The JOHESU, a coalition of health workers, also has an axe to grind with the
NMA. In a statement jointly signed by its chairman, Mr. Ayuba Wabba;
secretary, Mr. Yusuf Badmus; and the chairperson, AHPA, Mr. Godswill
Okara, the JOHESU described the latest strike action as ‘absurd,’ asking its
workers to shun the strike.

The JOHESU urged health professionals in its fold in both the public and
private sectors to “continue to render services within their competence and skills
to ameliorate the conditions of patients who seek care in the weeks ahead.”
But the NMA has kicked against the stand of the MDCAN and the JOHESU.
The NMA President, Dr. Kayode Obembe, maintained that every medical
doctor in Nigeria is bound to comply. “Every doctor is a member of NMA; other
affiliates are allowed to operate also. We sought legal advice on the court
injunction; our legal opinion is that the court order did not mention any reference
to NMA and since it did not mention NMA, we don’t want to dwell on it,” he
stated.

An unending cycle
Since 2009 when the circular of the CONMESS was released by the Federal
Government, the nation has witnessed different types of strike actions by medical
doctors. From warning strike, sympathy strike to full blown strike, patients have
been paying with their lives.

The CONMESS has proved to be the beginning of the battle for the doctors
who are agitating for improved welfare packages. Since 2009, the battle ground
has shifted to the states, where governments engage doctors on their payroll in
negotiation.
Perhaps the bloodiest of the bouts happened in April 2012 between the Lagos
State Government and its doctors who were angry at the reluctance of the state
government to implement the CONMESS. The 14-week strike, which led to the
sacking of 788 doctors, crippled the 26 general hospitals owned by the state and
attracted a sympathy strike from the Federal Government doctors working in
Lagos.

The NMA had planned an earlier showdown with the Federal Government on
January 6, but the association later shelved its plans after a five-day warning
strike last December.
In the last one year, affiliates of the NMA have also had to go on strike to push
for peculiar demands. Last month, a three-day warning strike was declared by
the National Association of Resident Doctors. The NARD was pushing for the
Federal Government to fund residency programmes in teaching hospitals.
As the doctors’ strike enters its 11th day today, the nation is still counting the
cost. However, for the Publicity Secretary, NMA, Lagos State, Dr. Peter
Ogunnubi, the action, although regrettable, would benefit Nigerians in many
areas in the long run.

In a telephone interview, Ogunnubi said the NMA strike would also ensure that
patients are protected. He said, “It would also correct the anomaly which has
seen doctors leaving this country en masse, and you know the implication of that
to the public. Then, we are asking for a total health insurance for all Nigerians
so that a person can go to hospital with his or her identification card and be
managed freely on that insurance.”
Ogunnubi further said, “In addition, there is the National Health Bill that we are
clamouring for. Nigeria is one of the few countries that have no law regulating
health delivery. So, a patient is not protected under any law, and if one’s right
is violated as a patient, there is no law to protect that person. We are asking for
the passage of the National Health Bill so that the health care rights of citizens
can be protected.
“Also, concerning the rural allowance, today, doctors are concentrated in the
cities because there is no out-of-station allowance that is on offer in any
organisation. That is why we don’t have doctors in our primary health care
system.
“Our primary health care system has turned to ordinary offices. But with the
rural allowance in place, doctors would then be able to leave the city if they
know that they have an additional stipend. As a result, there would be wider
distribution of doctors and medical personnel across our villages and towns
instead of them concentrating in the cities.”
Ogunnubi called on the government to be decisive in tackling the issues raised
by the NMA in its 24-point demand. “The present situation now is that the
Federal Government is not decisive enough. And confusion would always set
into any government which does not want to do what is required in line with
international best practices,” he noted.
‘Doctors have the right to go on strike’
However, the Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja branch, Mr. Monday
Ubani, said it would be difficult for any aggrieved patient to sue doctors for
ongoing strike.


He said, “Strike is recognised as one of the legitimate instruments for
negotiation and agitation under modern labour law. So, I doubt if a patient can
succeed in that action because the doctors are also pursuing their legitimate
aspiration in embarking on the strike.
“The doctors are also fighting for their rights. So, it’s not a matter of whether
patients cannot sue, but whether they can succeed in convincing any court that
they have been wronged and that there has been a breach of contract between
the patient and the medical practitioner.
“But then, it is important that doctors also remember that there is an oath they
usually take when they are being sworn in as doctors to ensure that they save
lives. Would it be in the interest of the medical profession to continue the strike
and then see lives being lost or wasted? I think there must be a balance in this
regard,” Ubani said.

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.

Great Nigerians, don't let these prophets take us for a ride. There are many fake ones than true ones. By their fruits, you shall know them. Thank God we are beginning to put up their prophesies on the net and we can easily browse them anytime.

I just read through the prophesies of last year by some men of God and Ministry including this man we are talking about. If you want to know if his prophesies do come to pass, browse for yourself.

I'm not surprised that many of them shout their mouths this year because most of their prophesies didn't come to pass.

I only believe one of them whose prophesies were almost accurate which was www.healinghourministry.com.

I don't believe this Man of God's words.

God bless all Nigerians
God bless GEJ
God bless Nigeria