Jonathan inaugurates committee to solve frequent health workers’ face-offs

Published: September 19,2013

The committee assured Nigerian President that their report would stop the frequent face-offs among health workers.

President Goodluck Jonathan has inaugurated a committee to come up with objective and practical solutions to the ongoing ramblings bedeviling Nigeria’s health sector.

The committee, which he described as “critical” was established as a result of the frosty and unhealthy relationship between the different professional cadres working in the sector.

The key function of the mediators is to come up with solutions to ensure uninterrupted health service delivery in Nigeria.

Mr. Jonathan said the acrimony in the public health sector is responsible for the country’s poor service delivery adding that it has not met his administration’s expectations.

He admitted the direct victims of the state of Nigerian health sector were the patients.

Over the recent years, the state of acrimony in the public health sector, notably among doctors, nurses and medical laboratory scientists, has compromised efficiency and effectiveness of the health workers.

The committee, inaugurated before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, is to be headed by Yayale Ahmed, a former secretary to the government of Nigeria.

Other members of the committee include Denise Agbolahan; Jalad Alabi (State House Counsel), Dr. Koripamo Agari amongst others.

The terms of reference of the eight man committee include:

• To review the current roles of various professional careers in the health sector and recommend measures to remove areas of conflict; To review extant laws governing various health professionals and recommend appropriate amendments where necessary.
• To review the draft report of the committee set up by the minister of health on harmonious working relationships among public health workers with the view to adopting suitable recommendations there-from.
• To advise government on appropriate measures to promote harmonious relationship among public health workers ; To consider and make any other recommendations that maybe incidental on the foregoing terms of reference which may assist government to promote industrial harmony in the public health sector.

The committee is required to complete its assignment and submit reports within eight weeks of inauguration.

Mr. Ahmed assured the President that by the time the group’s report is out, the frequent face-off which he pointed was as a result of the workers’ selfish ambitions, would become a thing of the past.