JOHESU’s strike and needless loss of lives

Iwas not unaware of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) members’ indefinite industrial action which commenced nationwide on April 18, but did not really give it much consideration as it was viewed as one of the usual national brouhahas that will somehow fizzle out with time. After all, ours is a nation of many troubles and overtime we have become used to coping with troubles.

Unknowingly, I was to be caught in the whole JOHESU’s commotion through a colleague who was hospitalized at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH. I was, indeed, highly elated when I paid him a visit at the hospital and discovered that he was stabilizing quite well. Though, he was still under observation, he was in high spirit.

However, things took a dramatic turn with the commencement of on-going JOHESU’s strike which effectively ensured he no longer have unhindered access to medical attention. It did not take long before his condition began to deteriorate; thereby making a mess of initial gains recorded in his recovery process. Presently, his condition calls for speedy divine intervention.

Though the JOHESU’s imbroglio is strictly between the union and the Federal Government (FG), reports across the country, however, indicate that other tiers of governments (State and Local Governments) have already joined in the strike. For instance, in Lagos State, health workers have joined the JOHESU strike in solidarity with their federal counterparts. Accordingly, reports had it that at LASUTH and other General Hospitals across the State health workers were not at their duty posts and only skeletal services were offered by the consultants and resident doctors available.

It will be recalled that JOHESU embarked on a nationwide strike last September to protest among other issues, salaries adjustments, promotion arrears and improved work environment for its members. The negotiation started in 2009 which later resulted in an agreement in 2012 and 2014 between the union and the FG. Now, the main grouse of JOHESU is that the FG has refused to honour the agreement it had with it. JOHESU has gone ahead to accuse the FG of gross bias since it had honoured similar agreement with members of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA.

Thus, now, JOHESU is fighting on two fronts as it is engaging the FG on one hand and the NMA on the other hand. JOHESU leaders have particularly accused NMA of frustrating efforts geared towards the implementation of its agreement with the FG. It needs to be stressed that the NMA had repeatedly declared its opposition to many of the demands made by JOHESU, describing them as objectionable. The NMA is explicitly opposed to salary harmonization; one of the important agreements which the FG reached with JOHESU, insisting that doctors cannot be on sane same salary scale as other health workers.

In the midst of all these hullabaloos, JOHESU has also singled out the Ministers of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole as well as Labour and Employment counterpart, Senator Chris Ngige, as the biggest culprit in the alleged scheme to frustrate efforts of the health workers to get fair treatment. The two men have, however, vehemently described this allegation as ‘spurious, unfounded and baseless’.

Meanwhile, hapless Nigerians, such as my colleague, who are critically in need of prompt healthcare, are, as usual, at the receiving end of this pointless entanglement. In an increasingly piercing economic season, hapless compatriots have had to cope with the extra financial burden on medical bills. From the way things are, the only way out is for the people to opt for private hospitals which, for obvious reasons, very few patients can really afford. According to reports, there is already an upsurge in the number of casualties across the country. This is rather unnecessary as it is quite avoidable.

Nevertheless, the FG and other key stakeholders need to urgently step up efforts to mitigate in the current imbroglio before it cripples the country’s health sector. Our health system is already weak and allowing the strike to continue will only make things worse.

Tayo Ogunbiyi, Lagos