From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has decried the poor working conditions in the country’s health sector.
The most painful aspect of the “Japa syndrome” in Nigeria’s health sector, according to acting National President of MHWUB, Dr. Ado Minjibir, is that many health workers are willing to make sacrifices for their country despite the dehumanising pay and welfare, but they are frustrated by the lack of enabling work environments that allow them to fulfill their role as care providers.
Minjibir spoke on Friday in Abuja, at the MHWUN’s 11th quadrennial National Delegates Conference where he was adopted as the Union’s new president.
He said: “If you are still wondering why many Doctors, Nurses, Radiologists, Pharmacists, Laboratory Scientists cum Technicians, Morticians, Community and Environmental health Workers are sleeping beside the gates of different embassies in I vigeria, i am sure you have your answers now! and there is no ending of this trend in sight.
“The painful aspect of the japa syndrome in Nigeria’s health sector is that there are many health workers who are committed to make sacrifices to serve their fatherland despite the humiliating pay structure and delivery in the country but are frustrated by the absence of an enabling work environment to fulfil their calling as care Professionals.
“It is either that the machines to perform basic medical procedures are not available or that they are dysfunctional. This task is the ingenuity of health workers in Nigeria turning many of us into miracle workers and magicians.
“Nigerian health workers who emigrate abroad for greener pastures are hardly replaced thus compounding the occupational stress of the few human health resources in our health facilities. Even basic reagents for chemical tests, protective wears, and disinfectants are hardly available in public health facilities thus adding to the excruciating burden that health workers in Nigeria carry putting their mental health and lives at great risk.
“In 2000, WHO ranking of health service delivery in 191 countries in the world placed Nigeria’s healthcare system at 187th. This means that we are only four places from being classified as the worst healthcare system in the world. Kindly note that this assessment was done in year 2000. We just hope we have not sunk lower especially given the continuous downturn in our national economy and its impact on the health sector.
“the Vision 2020 Sector report on the Health Sector also observed that the public health at eracities whether at the secondary or tertiary (both state and federal) in Nigeria were sy various stages of disrepair; and, that the budgetary provisions for public health date ofitem declined precipitously due to the devaluation of the naira, resulting in decrepit state”
The union leader thus recommended that the government revamp Nigeria’s healthcare sector amidst the current economic challenges by pinpointing system issues, focusing on human resources, and restructuring public health policies to enhance funding, investment, research, and innovation for better healthcare.
“As of 2021, Nigeria’s expenditure on healthcare amounted to just 3.75 percent of our Gross Domestic Product. This leaves the country with a whooping health investment deficit of $US82 billion.
“It is important that a vast sum of this investment go into rebuilding our primary healthcare system, developing a robust universal health coverage, evolving -health reforms, public health education for Nigerians and deploying world class health consumables and infrastructure able to manage terminal illnesses and stop the humongous amount of foreign exchange we spend on health tourism outside Nigeria.” He added.
Also speaking, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero said the Congress will continue making demands on the government for fair wages to workers in all sectors especially in critical and sensitive ones like theirs.
Ajaero said workers will always move to where they are treated better, while demanding that the government removes all the impediments that they are putting on your path to migration and should focus on making workers in the sector enjoy better working conditions.
According to him, “let salaries and wages be commensurate with the cost of living; let there be functional equipment in the hospitals and let workers be treated as human beings. Is that too much to ask comrades?
“Medical and Health workers remain one of the most important unions in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). You gave us Comrade Ali Chiroma (mni), the 2nd President of Congress then, Comrade Ayuba Wabba; my able and vibrant predecessor in office and have continued to give verve and strength to JOHESU. You must therefore continue to pull your weight in the affairs of the Congress supporting us in every facet of our activities. We therefore challenge you as we continue engaging the national stakeholders in this year’s national minimum Wage negotiation process; your total support and alertness will be needed so that together we can achieve the objectives of Nigerian workers which is a New National Minimum Wage that approximates to a Living Wage.
“Our people have been reduced to beggars with an ever-increasing number relying on waste dumps for their daily meals. Food has become so scarce that Nigerians have become scavengers and resorting to raiding food trucks and Warehouses for food. If those in government cannot see the danger in what is happening, we see it and must ensure that government fulfills its duties to the people.”
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