Crisis Looms in Lagos Health Sector as JOHESU Threatens Strike

•Warns FG against non-funding of regulatory Councils

Health services in Lagos State may be plunged into crisis if the health workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Unions Assembly (JOHESU) of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) make good their threat to embark on industrial action over welfare issues.

The workers are aggrieved over the failure of the state government to issue circulars for Pharmacist Consultant Cadre and payment of Retention Allowance for all Health Workers on CONHESS Salary Scale. The 15-day ultimatum is effective December.

In a letter to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, titled: ‘Notice of 15-day ultimatum to proceed on indefinite strike’, the workers urged the government to expedite action on the matters to avert an imminent crisis.

The letter signed by the Acting National Secretary of JOHESU, Comrade Matthew Ajorutu, said the workers drew the attention of the governor to the unfulfilled promises to health workers under its employment, including issuing the “Consultant Cadre circular to Pharmacist in all the facilities of the state government at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.”

According to Ajorutu, the action of the state government was contrary to the agreement reached with its officials led by the Special Adviser, Labour Matters in March 2023, whereupon it accepted to “commence payment of Retention Allowances to all eligible health workers on CONHESS Salary Scale, and warned that if the government fails within the next 15 days effective from December 18, 2023, to meet the demands, JOHESU/AHPA shall call out its members to proceed on an indefinite strike.

“This serves to convey the utter displeasure of the national leadership of Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (JOHESU/AHPA) to Your Excellency, following the failure of the Lagos State Government  to fulfill its promises to health workers under its employment.

“We put on record the tremendous respect with which we have treated Your Excellency on these recurrent demands which were never reciprocated. It is a reality that the over three memos we sent to Your Excellency on these demands were never acknowledged or responded to at any instance.”

Ajorutu decried the insensitivity of the government to the welfare of the health workers. “The various acts of disrespect meted to our members was taken to an unfortunate climax in March 2023, when the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Establishment, Mr. Olabode Mouroof Musa, declared to some of our members that all the Lagos State Government would offer them was Specialist Cadre and that they should realise how well connected Physicians were to the leadership hierarchy of Lagos State Government.

“We have critically appraised this most unpalatable situation and resolved that if the government does not issue the enabling circulars for the payment of retention allowances to eligible health workers; and the Consultant Cadre circular for Pharmacist, within the next 15 days effective from December 18, 2023, JOHESU/AHPA shall call out its members to proceed on an indefinite strike.”

In similar development, JOHESU/AHPA have called on the Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, to intervene in the decision of the Budget Office to terminate budgetary provision for all professional regulatory councils/bodies, including those in the health sector.

They claimed that the directive of the Budget Office initially affected all the Professional Regulatory Councils, including the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) which regulates Medical and Dental practice in Nigeria.

In a letter to the minister, Comrade Ajorutu, said, JOHESU/AHPA, the umbrella template of four registered trade unions in the health sector, alleged discrimination in the application of provisions of the various Acts of parliament establishing the Professional Regulatory Councils/Bodies.

“The directive of the Budget Office initially affected all these Professional Regulatory Councils, including the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). But in moves typical of some MDAs in the country, only the MDCN has been cleared to continue to enjoy government funding as proposed in the budget of N11bn in the 2023 estimates.”

Ajorutu warned against “imminent consequences that will confront consumers of health in Nigeria if the Honourabe Minister does not rescind the retrogressive and damaging directive of the Budget Office.” 

The consequences, he said, would make practitioners of the different professional cadres more vulnerable to unlawful and unethical practices. According to him, “these will automatically affect the reward system that has resulted in unprecedented exodus of health professionals to foreign countries, especially the U.K, USA, Canada and Australia.”

He further warned that ‘’from 2023, if this phenomenon is not managed, we estimate that over 25 per cent of the practitioners in Nigeria will join the exodus for greener pastures abroad.’’

Ajorutu said, “in Pharmacy practice which epitomises the drug supply chain in Nigeria, the incidence of fake drugs put at 33 per cent in 1988 and 49.6 per cent in 1998 is currently estimated to be between 25 per cent to 52 per cent in studies conducted in the last 15 years; and international studies and data will be exacerbated.”

Continuing, he explained that: “the fatality rate has increased from 7 per cent in 1988 to 12.8 per cent in 1998 and over 19.7 per cent in the last 15 years.  Nigeria contends with over two million unregistered drug premises, a consuming drug abuse challenge ravaging youths and women in all the 36 States and FCT, Abuja and other major fall-outs of medicine insecurity.”

JOHESU/AHPA demand that the minister directs the Budget Office to stop forthwith this attempt to stop budgetary allocation to all Professional Regulatory Councils in the Health Sector, to forestall our endorsing the clarion calls by members to withdraw their services to press home their demands.