By CHIOMA OBINNA

President Goodluck Jonathan has been urged to urgently address the issues raised by the various health professionals on the National Health Bill and other issues currently strengthening the long time disharmony in the health sector.

National Chairman of Nigerian Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists (NAHAP), Pharm. Nkechi Anyanwu who spoke last week during their 13th Annual Scientific Conference with the theme: Hospital Pharmacy Practice & National Development”, said some provisions in the Bill had only succeeded in deepening the disharmony within the sector.

Calling on the President to wade into the quigmire created by the Bill, she cited the provision for the Chairman, National Tertiary Hospital Commission that was made exclusively for medical doctors of 10 years experience in a teaching hospital.

• From right to left are Dr Azuka Oparah, Sec. Gen., West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists with Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Dr. Wunmi Salako, Chairman Health Service Commission, Lagos State and PSN President, Pharm Azubuike Okwor during the 13th Annual Conference of NAHAP last week in Lagos.

“My worry is that in a situation where you have in the health sector different health professionals, what is the basis and criteria for only a particular profession to produce the head of the commission.

One would have thought that the chairman of that commission is occupying an administrative position and that the main consideration would have been a high degree in management qualification. Why should a particular profession be made the head of that commission?”

Anyanwu said government needs to address the burning issues of career progression of health professionals, under utilisation of professional skill as ways of harnessing the potentials in healthcare deliveries. She demanded that the scheme service be implemented to the letter.

“For instance, a career structure of a pharmacist is a graduate and have all the required qualifications to be promoted to a director unfortunately, the highest level a pharmacist can attain is Chief Pharmacy Officer.

The scheme of service is there but it is not being implemented. We feel we are being underutilised and marginalised.”

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, who described pharmacists as one of the most critical in the nation’s healthcare advised themnot to place much importance on immediate survival but see their patient as the central focus.

National President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Azubuike Okwor who berated the health sector , challenged NAHAP members to go back to the hospitals and ensure patients get best of their experience and expertise.