BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

THE poor state of health delivery in the country came to fore once again at the 36th National Executive Council, NEC, of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, at Owerri, Imo State.

At the meeting, members after a critical appraisal of the state of health delivery in the country declared that if urgent and radical measures were not taking by the three tiers of government to upgrade healthcare delivering system in the country, the consequences would be too grave for the country.

The meeting which also attended former leaders of the Union, who are members of the MHWUN National Elders Forum, after a two-day deliberations, in a communiqué issued by the President and Secretary General of the union, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and Marcus Omokhaule, identified gross under-funding for health services in the country as the crux of the declining state of public healthcare delivery.

Members argued that it was quite “unfortunate for the Federal Government of Nigeria which hosted African Ministers of Health in 2000, where the Abuja declaration which amongst other things, recommended that 15% of National Budgetary

Minister for Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu

provisions be set aside for healthcare, to perpetuate budgetary provisions for health that is in single digits.  NEC – in – session thus called for ‘improved funding for health in line with the Abuja declaration for the improvement of public healthcare delivery, in the interest of the common people in Nigeria.”

Viewed with grave concern the looming fact that Nigeria is unlikely to meet the health-specific targets of the Millennium Development Goals, by 2015, while noting the problem of funding, “NEC – in – session further identified the lack of political will on the part of the Government in the country who can afford to travel out of Nigeria for medical care to the poor healthcare system.

“NEC – in – session thus demands a complete re-engineering and transformation of the health system to make a process driven through concerted series of actions by government at all tiers of the federation as well as other non-state actors such as health sector trade unions.”

“MHWUN has always placed great premium on the pivotal role of Primary Health Care, PHC, for the building of a pro-people health agenda, particularly in an underdeveloped country such as Nigeria.  It was in this light that in the 1990s, MHWUN had campaigned around its agenda for the establishment of: a National Primary Health Commission; States Primary Health Boards and; Local Primary Healthcare Authorities.

“NEC – in – session further noted that its efforts eventually yielded fruits to the benefit of common people in the country, who utilized PHC facilities the most, with the on-going establishment of PHC authorities in states across the country. NEC – in – session thus resolved that all MHWUN state councils should engage actively with the legislative processes for establishing such authorities where they are in the process of being established.

In states where legislations have been passed establishing these authorities, the MHWUN members shall strive to provide apt leadership as the Union whose cadres are most involved in Primary Health care delivery services.”

Provisions of National Health Bill

Leaders of the union at the NEC condemned what they termed “the draconian provisions” in the National Health Bill passed by the 6th National Assembly which projects the leadership of Medical and Dental Practitioners over all other health workers in the health sector.

They called for “the expunging of these provisions and the re-formulation of the National Health Bill that the interest of health workers and beneficiaries as a whole towards the passage of a National Health Bill that will promote better health for an ever expanding number of citizens and promote the Joint Work that is peculiar to the health sector and critical for harmonious labour relations in the sector.”

The communiqué noted that NEC – in – Session was bothered by the poor level of institutionalization of Occupational Health and Safety in healthcare facilities especially as the consequences of such in health work could easily be fatal.

According to the communiqué, “Nigeria is one of the few countries in West Africa where health workers are not routinely treated and/or vaccinated against Hepatitis B.  NEC – in – Session demands that all tiers of government that employ health workers as well as private health institutions must henceforth give OHS the concern it requires and particularly the inoculation of health workers whose schedule of work could bring them into close contact with blood or body fluids, against hepatitis B infection.”

Members of NEC however commended Governor Rochas Okorocha led administration of Imo State for its demonstrated commitment to developing public healthcare delivery in the state and as well as for the sphere of infrastructural development Imo state has witnessed in barely half a year.