Labour petitions Jonathan on health bill
BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
ABUJA-ORGANISED Labour in the nation’s health sector has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan, urging him to withhold assent on the National Health Bill.
Consequently, Labour asked the President to return the bill to the National Assembly, NASS, for a rework, so it could effectively address the prevailing non-performance in healthcare delivery system in Nigeria.
Under the umbrella of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, labour argued in the petition that the bill as it was currently, would crate more crisis in the nation’s health sector.
The petition by, P. Wabba and Marcus I. Omokhuale, National President and Secretary-General of the union, said “The Health Sector is made up of multi-professional groups having statutory regulatory bodies (councils and boards) charged with specific responsibilities of defining and providing regulatory standards for the professional practice of each of the groups.
During our input on the bill to the Senate Committee on Health, we made this clear enough that the section is contradictory and attempts to usurp the powers already given to similarly existing bodies such as (i.) Environmental Health Officers’ Registration Council, (ii.) Community Health Practitioner Council of Nigeria, (iii.) Radiographers Registration Council of Nigeria etc. This, in itself has put the bill on a nullity.”
“We wish that the National Health Act should provide a level playing field to allow health professionals practice their professions as provided by their different regulatory bodies without any inhibition. Section I (1d) “Sets out the right and duties of healthcare provider, health workers, health establishments and users”.
The extant laws of the country make these statutory functions that of the National Council on Establishment, as advisory body on matters that relate to Schemes of Service.
The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and its state counterparts discharge the responsibilities of setting out the rights and duties of healthcare providers and health workers; whereas the National Council on Health and the Federal Ministry of Health and Establishments are end users. Section 8 (1) states: – there is hereby established, a body to be known as the National Tertiary Hospitals Commission -. Sub section (2) goes further: “The commission shall consist of Executive Chairman, who shall be a Medical Doctor” .
“This is obviously derogatory and discriminatory, when a law makes position exclusive for a class of people in a system that has multi-professional groups. This is ultra-vires and against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The commission in itself as structured is administrative and by arrogating the headship of various administrative positions in the health sector exclusively to the Medical Doctors, further leaves one in doubt about the sincerity of the bill itself. Even Dr Eyitayo Lambo in an interview on the NTA network admitted that the bill has lost more than 25% of its original context.”
