COVID-19: Reps to meet Ministers over salaries, PPE for Health Workers

The House of Representatives has on Tuesday invited the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello over the brewing crisis in the health sector in the Federal Capital Territory.

The ministers are scheduled to have a meeting with the leadership of the House on Wednesday to discuss the issue of protection of healthcare personnel in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. They will also try to ensure the payment of the outstanding salaries of FCT health workers in a bid to stave off a proposed strike.

Meanwhile, lawmakers directed the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Federal Ministry of Finance and IPPIS to rectify all anomalies associated with payments of FCT healthcare providers and ensure payment of the accumulated salaries with immediate effect.

The resolution was an outcome of a motion under urgent National importance by Rep. Yusuf Tanko Sununu and 3 other lawmakers.

They also directed the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to urgently procure Personal Protective Equipments PPEs for distribution to hospitals, especially, with their own contributions.

They commended the FCT healthcare providers and urged them to further continue with their commendable sacrifices as the House continues to intervene.

While arguing the motion, Sununu said: “the House notes that COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be the greatest challenge to human existence globally. Currently the spread of infection is not only alarming, but also the mortality world over has never been anticipated. Couple to that world economy and social relations are almost grounded. This has negatively affected the global access to healthcare services resulting in increased deaths from other causes further compounding the fight against Covid-19 pandemic. Globally, over 4, 425, 485 people were infected and with 302, 059 deaths as at 16/05/2020.

“This made the World Health Organisation (WHO)to call on nations with weak health systems to prepare for a very severe shocking experience.

“Currently, community transmission is not in doubt. However, the rate of infection among healthcare providers is not only alarming but capable of retarding the success been recorded.

‘Worried that no country can be at war and be comfortable that its foot soldiers are been threatened by enemies and so the need for concerted efforts to protect the fighting forces cannot be overemphasized. So far over 160 healthcare professionals are infected with deaths recorded.

“As it is today, the patients are afraid of going to hospital because of fear of acquiring the infection from healthcare providers, so also the healthcare providers are scared to interact with patients due to poor access to personal protective equipment by the healthcare providers.

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“To further compound matters, irregularities of salaries payment consequent to poor implementation of IPPIS enrollment in FCT, there was a notice of commencement of indefinite strikes by the FCT health workers.

“Cognisant of the sacrifices being made by our health care providers in the fight against Covnd-19, the House intervened on 17 and 20 March, 2020, and made Resident Doctors to suspend their week long strike before the commencement of Iockdown.

“Further cognizant of the negative impact of the strikes not only on the fight against Covid-19, but in the overall healthcare delivery, and in the spirit of the fact that a laborer deserves his wages , it became inevitable for the House to further act.

“Worried that in the initial intervention only consequential adjustments of House Officers’ salaries were achieved, the House views the failure of IPPIS to adjust correctly the FCTA staff salaries as unacceptable and most especially the wages of forces working day by day to combat Covid-19 infection. To further make matters worse is for properly appointed staff to stay for 5 – 7 months after assuming office and regularly reporting to duties without receiving a penny as his/her wages. The morale of such a professional to serve as frontline staff in ongoing fight against Covid-19 is better imagined.”

With the passage of the motion, when the Speaker, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila called for a voice vote, the House directed its Committees on Healthcare Services and Health institutions to ensure compliance with the resolutions.