Nigerian Resident Doctors Berate Pharmacists Over Criticism of Strike
Sunday, 13 July 2014 21:07
Written by Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu Benin City Abba Anwar Kano and Joke Falaju Abuja
Nigerian Guardian
• Health workers decry new service scheme
IN a swift reaction to the criticism of the two-week old doctors’ strike by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has scolded pharmacists as being economical with the truth, maintaining they have lesser responsibility in the health sector.
Speaking exclusively on telephone to The Guardian from Kano, NARD President, Comrade Jibril Abdullahi said, “We are only calling for international best practices. Nowhere in the world are doctors’ emoluments the same with other health professionals. All we are saying is: let government arrest brain drain in the health sector.”
He dismissed PSN President that doctors were skipping some levels in the salary structure. He added that pharmacists have been skipping from CONTISS 9 to CONTISS 11, not even CONTISS 10, for over twenty years now.
Pharmacists, according to NARD President, only stock and give out drugs to patients. While doctors consults a patient, diagnoses him, observes and directs for surgery where necessary, orders for any laboratory test or otherwise and prescribes a particular drug.
Meanwhile, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has faulted Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu’s challenge of NMA to a debate, describing it as a show of frustration.
MDCAN President, Steve Oluwale canvassed in Abuja yesterday for external mediators to facilitate the early resolution of the differences between the FG and the NMA, adding, “This is a novel proposal by the Minister of Health. It is of little use second-guessing while this unusual method of solving industrial dispute was proposed or contemplated.
Similarly, another crisis is brewing in the primary health sector as medical personnel are complaining of attempts to stagnate their professional growth to level 16 as against level 17 for their counterparts in the federal and state civil service.
A statement issued by Concerned Primary Health Care Physicians (CPHCP) yesterday in Benin City said the controversially reviewed scheme if allowed to stay could discourage donor agencies like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO) and others from continuing their support for primary health care activities as they argued that Nigeria is a signatory to the Alma Mata Declaration of Primary Health Care in 1978. “The draft scheme is totally ignorant of the functions of primary health care coordinators especially in situations where they are appropriately available as medical officers of health,” the statement said.
The NARD boss continued in his explanation that there was a signed document from the Federal Ministry of Health that agreed with the so-called skipping of salary level by doctors. The skipping by doctors, according to him, was said to be temporarily pending the appeal case filed by pharmacists. He said that records are there for all to see.
“So, we are not compelling other health workers to accept the skipping thing. We are not their employers. We are only urging government to accept our position; simple,” Abdullahi explained.
On the issue of Surgeon-General, NARD President argued that this has been the practice in the United States of America. In his argument, Surgeon General was the technical expert who was responsible of all the technicalities of the profession.
He said, “Being a technical expert Surgeon General’s work is quite distinct with that of the Minister of Health. The Minister is a political appointee, who dances to the tune of his or her paymasters; simple.”
Comrade Abdullahi further observed that, there was the Office of Surgeon General in Nigeria before the 1979 constitution. It was at this juncture that he dismissed the umbrella body of the Nigerian pharmacists as being too naïve to understand antecedents of the health sector in the country.
He wondered why people were calling for the separation of the office of the Attorney General with that of the Minister of Justice but were saying different thing as regards the health sector.
The PSN President, Mr. Olumide Akintayo, was reported to have said over 80% in the Top Management Committee (TMC) on federal ministry of health, teachings hospitals and state ministries of health were doctors.
This, Abdullahi said is totally untrue. According to him there are eight departments in the Federal Ministry of Health, four professionals and four managerial. He explained that under the professional one there are public health, family health, hospital services and drug and food services. “How can doctors take more than 80% here?” he asked rhetorically.
The NARD chief said that in the teaching hospital, where he comes from, there are three fundamental categories. These are office of the Chief Medical Director (CMD), office of the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) and Administration department
“Unless if someone wants to be mischievous, there is no way you can say doctors take more than 80% in the management of the health sector,” NARD President maintained.
 |
| Striking members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors. |
Written by Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu Benin City Abba Anwar Kano and Joke Falaju Abuja
Nigerian Guardian
• Health workers decry new service scheme
IN a swift reaction to the criticism of the two-week old doctors’ strike by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has scolded pharmacists as being economical with the truth, maintaining they have lesser responsibility in the health sector.
Speaking exclusively on telephone to The Guardian from Kano, NARD President, Comrade Jibril Abdullahi said, “We are only calling for international best practices. Nowhere in the world are doctors’ emoluments the same with other health professionals. All we are saying is: let government arrest brain drain in the health sector.”
He dismissed PSN President that doctors were skipping some levels in the salary structure. He added that pharmacists have been skipping from CONTISS 9 to CONTISS 11, not even CONTISS 10, for over twenty years now.
Pharmacists, according to NARD President, only stock and give out drugs to patients. While doctors consults a patient, diagnoses him, observes and directs for surgery where necessary, orders for any laboratory test or otherwise and prescribes a particular drug.
Meanwhile, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has faulted Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu’s challenge of NMA to a debate, describing it as a show of frustration.
MDCAN President, Steve Oluwale canvassed in Abuja yesterday for external mediators to facilitate the early resolution of the differences between the FG and the NMA, adding, “This is a novel proposal by the Minister of Health. It is of little use second-guessing while this unusual method of solving industrial dispute was proposed or contemplated.
Similarly, another crisis is brewing in the primary health sector as medical personnel are complaining of attempts to stagnate their professional growth to level 16 as against level 17 for their counterparts in the federal and state civil service.
A statement issued by Concerned Primary Health Care Physicians (CPHCP) yesterday in Benin City said the controversially reviewed scheme if allowed to stay could discourage donor agencies like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO) and others from continuing their support for primary health care activities as they argued that Nigeria is a signatory to the Alma Mata Declaration of Primary Health Care in 1978. “The draft scheme is totally ignorant of the functions of primary health care coordinators especially in situations where they are appropriately available as medical officers of health,” the statement said.
The NARD boss continued in his explanation that there was a signed document from the Federal Ministry of Health that agreed with the so-called skipping of salary level by doctors. The skipping by doctors, according to him, was said to be temporarily pending the appeal case filed by pharmacists. He said that records are there for all to see.
“So, we are not compelling other health workers to accept the skipping thing. We are not their employers. We are only urging government to accept our position; simple,” Abdullahi explained.
On the issue of Surgeon-General, NARD President argued that this has been the practice in the United States of America. In his argument, Surgeon General was the technical expert who was responsible of all the technicalities of the profession.
He said, “Being a technical expert Surgeon General’s work is quite distinct with that of the Minister of Health. The Minister is a political appointee, who dances to the tune of his or her paymasters; simple.”
Comrade Abdullahi further observed that, there was the Office of Surgeon General in Nigeria before the 1979 constitution. It was at this juncture that he dismissed the umbrella body of the Nigerian pharmacists as being too naïve to understand antecedents of the health sector in the country.
He wondered why people were calling for the separation of the office of the Attorney General with that of the Minister of Justice but were saying different thing as regards the health sector.
The PSN President, Mr. Olumide Akintayo, was reported to have said over 80% in the Top Management Committee (TMC) on federal ministry of health, teachings hospitals and state ministries of health were doctors.
This, Abdullahi said is totally untrue. According to him there are eight departments in the Federal Ministry of Health, four professionals and four managerial. He explained that under the professional one there are public health, family health, hospital services and drug and food services. “How can doctors take more than 80% here?” he asked rhetorically.
The NARD chief said that in the teaching hospital, where he comes from, there are three fundamental categories. These are office of the Chief Medical Director (CMD), office of the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) and Administration department
“Unless if someone wants to be mischievous, there is no way you can say doctors take more than 80% in the management of the health sector,” NARD President maintained.
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