Lois Otse Adams
The Nigerian health sector has suffered severe setbacks following lack of medical facilities in the government healthcare centres, poor environment and non-adherance to payment of healthcare workers’ salaries. This has become a threat to the citizenry as the number of sudden deaths has increased in recent times.
In view of the above and the rise in the number of deaths, experts from the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), under the leadership of Dr Victor Makanjuola, on Monday blamed the government for problems in the country’s health sector and also appealed to the National Assembly to throw away the bill seeking to amend the Teaching Hospital Act in its entirety.
According to Dr Makanjuola, the problems in the health sector remain largely unresolved by the government, with healthcare workers leaving the shores of the country in droves to more secure climes with better conditions of service.
He addressed newsmen in Benin City at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Makanjuola where he said efforts by the government have been inadequate in addressing these problems.
A communiqué, signed by the President, Makanjuola and the Secretary-General of the association, Dr. Yemi Raji, noted:
“The apparent intention of the relevant government agencies to engender disruption of services in secondary and tertiary health institutions across the country, by the failure to implement the payment of the approved hazard allowance, pay outstanding arrears occasioned by skipping, extend the retirement age of health workers to limit ongoing massive brain drain in the health sector as well as correct the shortfall in the salaries of honorary consultants who are clinical lecturers in the University”.
Makanjuola warned that industrial harmony in the government hospitals cannot be guaranteed if these demands are not met within the next two weeks, as he called on all well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in order to avert the impending crisis.
