Health workers lament over delaying decision of FG
The Nigeria Health workers, under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Union, on yesterday rebuke Federal Government over its failure to decide a harmonised rate for the new hazard allowance scale.
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The President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Godiya Ishaya, stated that the association had submitted necessary documents for the payment rates.
NARD and JOHESU had embarked on industrial action over the failure of the federal government to increase the hazard allowance being paid to doctors and health workers.
It was revealed that doctors and health workers were still being paid N5,000 as a hazard allowance.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunmimbe Mamora, in a recent interview, had stated that the Federal Government had discussed with JOHESU and NARD and had finalised plans for new payment scale for hazard allowance.
Mamora said, “We have also signed some agreements and the money has been captured in the 2022 appropriation budget. So, it is not out of place to say the implementation will begin in 2022.”
Our patience, not foolishness – JOHESU
But the spokesperson for the health workers union, Olumide Akintayo, in a separate interview yesterday, said the Federal Government was inconsistent concerning the new hazard allowance scale.
Akintayo said, “One of the reasons we have always been at loggerheads is as a result of government’s inconsistencies. You promise something, we meet with you and the moment we leave the negotiation table, you start with something else. As of yesterday (Friday), I was at the secretariat and I can tell you that there has been no update on the issue of the hazard allowance.”
“During our meeting with the government, others suggested that the hazard allowance should be paid via percentages, the more you earn, the more your hazard allowance is, but the minister of state for budget and national planning told them that it was not a project that was sustainable.”
“Now, let them agree on a flat rate and let us know, they have refused to say anything. Presently, we can’t say if it’s going to be a flat rate or it is going to be percentage. Let the government not mistake our patience for foolishness. JOHESU can afford to go on strike but we are sensible and passionate about the appeals of Nigerians.”
Also, the National President of NARD told our correspondent that his association had done the needful by sending the necessary documents.
Ishaya said “Government has not fixed any rate yet. We are still waiting for the circular from NSIWC on the new hazard allowance.
“On our part, we have submitted a proposal for percentage of our basic salary to be used for calculating the rate so that we don’t have to come back anytime soon to negotiate for another Hazard allowance package.”
Over 9,000 Nigerian doctors in UK
A verified source observed that the number of Nigerian doctors in the UK had surpassed 9,000 going by the daily rate of four Nigerian doctors being licensed in the UK per day.
Checks by our correspondent showed that at least 264 doctors had been licensed by the UK General Medical Council in the last 53 days, an average of 4.6 Nigerian doctors per day.
A check on the website of the council showed that as regards the number of foreign doctors working in the UK, Nigeria comes third behind India and Pakistan which have 30,388 and 15,962 doctors respectively operating in the UK.
Oluchi Okwuego/punch
