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Tag: Isaac Adewole

  • Strike: FG cautions JOHESU members

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has cautioned that striking Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) have no constitutional right to harass other health workers not on strike or lock government facilities.

    The minister gave the caution in a statement issued by Mr Oshundun Olajide, Deputy Director, Media and Public Relations of the ministry, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Olajide said the minister said this while reacting to a news briefing by the President, National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Ugochukwu Chinaka.

    He noted that the resident doctors accused JOHESU members of harassing and molesting members of NARD and other medical officers at their respective duty posts.

    According to the statement, the minister was also informed that JOHESU members were accused of locking-up government health facilities to prevent access to those who are not on strike.

    Olajide also quoted the minister as saying that the federal government would not accept nor condone any act of irresponsibility and disobedience to constituted authorities.

    The minister also directed that all locked health facilities should be re-opened immediately to enable them provide required services while negotiation continues.

    It added that Adewole re-iterated that all heads of medical institutions should urgently provide adequate security for the working members of staff.

    It warned that any person found disturbing the peace in any health facility should be made to face the law.

    Recalls that the First Vice President of NARD, Dr Ganiyu Ahmed, had earlier accused JOHESU members of becoming increasingly aggressive towards other health professional particularly doctors, who are not on strike.

    Ahmed told newsmen on April 28 that JOHESU members at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Awka, manhandled a resident doctor on duty.

  • FEC directs surveillance against Ebola 

    To keep Ebola away from Nigeria, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday directed the Federal Ministry of Health to step up surveillance against Ebola.

    The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole briefed State House correspondents at the end of FEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to him, the Council ordered steps to be taken to keep the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from coming to Nigeria.

    He said that part of the new measures to be taken is screening passengers coming into the country.

    “We want to assure Nigerians that the government is determined to keep the country safe.” he said.

    Read Also: Ebola: 17 people die in Congo – Officials

  • ‘JOHESU demand for salary parity neither practicable, nor acceptable’

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said on Monday that the demand by striking Joint Health Sector Unions ( JOHESU ) for salary parity with medical doctors was neither practicable nor acceptable.

    The minister made this known in a statement issued in Abuja by Mr Olajide Oshundun, Assistant Director of Information of the ministry.

    The statement was a reaction by the ministry to the advertorial by JOHESU in some national dailies.

    The minister, however, said an offer has been made to adjust the salaries and wages of its members by the Federal Government.

    “As a responsible government will do everything within our power to bring the ongoing strike action to an end as quickly as possible.

    “Indeed, the federal government has put machinery in place to ensure that the strike is called off by meeting with JOHESU officials on several occasions.

    “But what JOHESU is asking for is parity with medical doctors which is neither practicable nor acceptable to the federal government,’’ the minister said.

    Adewole described the current strike action by the unions as unfortunate, noting that“the health and wellbeing of many Nigerians have been affected.”

    The minister reiterated that there was no agreement between the federal government and JOHESU prior to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He added that what JOHESU brandished as 2014 agreement were minutes of meetings they had with organs of government.

    He explained that in September 2017, JOHESU presented 15-point demand and the Federal Government has implemented 14 while the last demand was still been attended to.

    Adewole therefore appealed to the unions to immediately call off the strike and allow for the conclusion of the assignment given to a high powered body on the 2017 agreement.

    “The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will not renege on any agreement entered into with any labour organisation including JOHESU,’’ he said

    The minister also appealed to the general public to bear with the government as efforts were on to end the ongoing strike as quickly as possible.

    NAN

  • Adewole, others advocate lifestyle change to reduce cancer scourge

    …FG working towards reducing cost of treatment

    Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; Radiotherapy and Cancer Specialists, Prof. Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and others have advised against carefree habit and lifestyle that promote risk factors to cancer diseases.

    They gave the advice in separate addresses at the launch of the Oyo State five-year cancer control strategic plan, spanning five years (January 2018 to December 2022), in Ibadan, on Tuesday.

    Wife of the state governor and founder of Access to Basic Medical Care Foundation, Chief Florence Ajimobi, who was the initiator of the project, as well as the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Azeez Adedutan, said that the strategic plan was aimed at reducing cancer-related incidence and mortality.

    In their goodwill messages, Wife of Niger State Governor, Dr. Amina Bello; Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge; and representative of wife of Kwara State governor, Mr. Lanre Bello, harped on early detection and preventive measures to reduce the cancer scourge.

    The minister lauded the state government and ABC Foundation for setting the pace for other states in the country with the cancer control strategic plan, an initiative he said Oyo State pioneered in the country.

    Adewole, who rued what he called the low level of information and awareness on the debilitating effect of the disease across the country, said that the Federal Government was working hard to cause a significant reduction in the cost of cancer treatment.

    Although he put the cost at conservatively $2,000 (N734,000) currently in the country, he said it was still a far cry to the $10,000 (N3.7m) it cost to treat cancer in neighboring Ghana.

    He said that the FG would have loved to establish more cancer treatment centres across the country, in spite of the prohibitive cost, but was being hampered by competing demands of other life-threatening diseases such as heart diseases, hypertension, kidney failure, cirrhosis, among others.

    The minister said, “This is the first time in the history of cancer in Nigeria that a state will make a strategic plan on it. We now know that 40 per cent of cancer can be prevented if we change our habits and lifestyle, while 40 per cent can be cured if detected early.

    “In nearby Ghana, it cost $10,000 to treat cancer while it cost $2,000 to treat the same disease in Nigeria. But, even at that amount, it is still expensive for our people. We are working hard to make the treatment affordable.

    “It is also advisable to localize this cancer plan, as this will be strategic to its success. Involvement of the local government administrations and other health platforms like the Primary Health Care should be integrated into the programme.”

    In his keynote, Durosinmi-Etti, who was the pioneer chief medical director of the National Hospital, Abuja, identified smoking, excessive alcohol intake, albinos’ exposure to sun and excessive body weight as some of the habits and lifestyles that promote cancer.

    He said, “We need to pay attention to the spread of cancer in Nigeria in order to bring it to a near zero level. From research, we discovered that breast and cervical cancer account for 50 per cent of female mortality.

    “Apart from Gombe, Ibadan is the only state in Nigeria with facilities to treat cancer and this call for absolute readiness to campaign for prevention rather than treatment. 33 per cent cure is sure with prevention and early detection.

    “But, if people will just be careful about their habits and lifestyles, such as smoking, excessive drinking, exposure to paint and asbestos chemicals, excessive weight and obesity, as well as exposure to the sun in the case of albinos, there will be a significant reduction in cancer incidence.”

    Launching the strategic plan, the governor said that the initiative was birthed with the collaborative efforts of the state government and the private sector.

    Ajimobi stated that effective healthcare system could not be sustained by government alone, but with the support of the private sector, adding that mortality rate attributed to cancer had been alarming and must be nipped in the bud.

    The governor said, “May I reiterate the fact that effective healthcare service delivery the world over is a joint venture between government and the private sector. It is evident that health cannot be sustained by government’s efforts alone.

    “As a responsive government, we have taken a preemptive review of the structure of the healthcare system with the requisite intent of meeting the health needs of our people. An extensive restructuring of the sector, which involves the three tiers of service provision across the state, is currently on-going.

    “Permit me to use this opportunity to commend the efforts of my wife, who I unequivocally describe as a philanthropist par excellence. She is a woman with the milk of kindness and concern for the welfare and wellbeing of others. I thank her for this initiative and others before this.”

    In her welcome address, the wife of the governor said that the plight of cancer patients informed her decision to play a major role in bringing smiles back to their faces, adding that the plan would harp on prevention of the disease rather than cure.

    Mrs. Ajimobi hinted that the strategic plan was targeting 500,000 people for screening annually, with 165 centers to be created across the state, while soliciting a special cancer fund to assist cancer patients in the State.

    She said, “A significant proportion of the citizenry are not aware of cancer, neither are the majority equipped with much-needed information to protect themselves and their loved ones from it, leading to late presentation.

    “The strategic plan is targeted at five identified priority areas and will be implemented in two phases over the next five years. Its implementation will also be supervised and coordinated by a steering committee comprising of relevant stakeholders.

    “Over the next three months, 1,320 nurses across the 33 Local Government Areas of the state will be trained on cancer screening and 165 screening centers (5 in each LGA), capable of screening 500 thousand people annually, will be established.

    “Although this plan has been designed to be sustainable, there is a need to establish a Cancer Fund to support cancer patients in the state. I am also aware that the State Health Insurance Agency is almost done with plans to incorporate cancer care into all its products and packages.”

  • JOHESU Strike: Health workers accuses Adewole, Ngige of bias

    Health workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has accused the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and his Labour and Employment counterpart, Senator Chris Ngige of collaborating with Medical Doctors to frustrate their demands and make the Health Sector more viable and worker friendly.

    The workers who began an indefinite strike action on Tuesday night also accused the government of intimidating its members by threatening to invoke the no work no pay Policy as well as opening an attendance register for workers instead of addressing the issues that led to the strike in the first place.

    They said that no amount of threat and intimidation will force the, to abandon their fight for equity and justice in the health sector.

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja on the ongoing strike and government response, national chairman of the JOHESU, Biobelemoye Joy Josiah said while government has always promptly dealt with demands by medical doctors, applying Labour laws even when the NMA and the NARD were not registered trade unions, the government has resorted to threats and intimidation in handling issues relating to other health workers.

    He said this was so because both the Ministers of Health as well as Labour and Employment who is supposed to be an arbiter are medical doctors, adding that government and medical doctors have gone into what he described as an unholy alliance to fight against other medical workers.

    He said “the attention of the Joint Health Sector Unions has been drawn to a circular letter from the Federal Ministry of Health on the ongoing strike by JOHESU members and wish to once again to intimate the general public to bias, I justice and provocative antics of the federal ministry of health, particular items 1(iv, v) and 3 of the said letter directing that attendance register is opened during strike, enforcement of no work, no pay Policy and employment of locus staff respectively.

    “While JOHESU is not averse to the protection of government t properties, we wish to reiterate that whenever the Medical and dental practitioners were on strike, no such rules as churned out in the circular are always given.

    “We wish to draw the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari and the general public to the discriminatory, suppressive and oppressive attitude of the drivers of the Health Sector to all workers other than medical doctors in managing health care delivery in Nigeria.

    “It is in record that patients are always hurriedly discharged and diverted to their private clinics whenever medical doctors are on strike and thereby preventing other health workers from performing their duties and nothing like locus, doctors employed to serve the public, nor registers opened to enforce co plain English while the policy of no work no pay has never been applied to the strike mangers who call themselves medical doctors.

    “Our attention has equally been drawn to an egoistic and self-serving press conference by the leadership of the Niger Medical Association (NMA) where they branded JOHESU An illegal body which should not be listened to by government t and the general public.

    “It is wed foolhardy doe NMA to go to town with such fallacy when JOHESU, a conglomerate of five duly registered and recognized trade unions by law and has all rights and privileges to Kate for the welfare of its ,embers, is being described as illegal. It is the case of a blind group of people who know nothing about trade unions and industrial relations practice, that wants to mislead the public on which is a legal or illegal trade union.

    “While these unions have right to go on strike collectively or separately, the NMA and ARD have no such rights but they behave as trade unions and enjoy recognition and patronage of the federal ministry of health and sit with government to negotiate for their members under the watchful eyes of the federal ministry of Labour and Employment just because the Minister of Labour who should be an arbiter but choose to close his eyes to such illegality is himself a medical doctor.

    “We call on our members nationwide to disregard all forms of threat or intimidation from government and ensure that services are withdrawn until our demands are met. We call on government to ensure equity and justice in the health sector instead of putting the health of Nigerians in jeopardy by resolving the issues on the the table rather than churning out threatening circulars on registers, Locum and no work no pay that have no universal application as a diversionary tactics.”

    “We want the public to know that what is playing out appears to be a situation NMA and ARD on the one hand and government in the other has gone into an unholy alliance to fight against health workers right, even in a situation where doctors and other health workers remain the employees of the same government.

    “We implore government to make every effort to make the strike short lived in the interest of the poor and vulnerable Nigerians and not engage in activities that will further infuriate health workers and exacerbate an already bad situation.”

  • USAID partners Sokoto, Bauchi on primary health care

    The United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) has signed two agreements with Bauchi, Sokoto States and other stakeholders to expand access to quality, affordable health care in the two states.

    A statement by the U.S. Embassy on Monday in Abuja explained that the agreements were aimed at boosting access to quality Primary Health Care services in the two states.

    “USAID Mission Director, Stephen Haykin, joined the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’adu Abubakar, Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, philanthropists Bill Gates and Aliko Dangote, and governors of Bauchi and Sokoto states by video teleconference to sign the two agreements.

    “Under the four-year addenda to improve routine immunisation and expansion of funding for the Primary Health Care.

    “USAID will provide technical assistance to the Bauchi and Sokoto States Primary Health Care Development agencies to help expand access to routine immunisations and primary health care.

    “While UNICEF will partner with the Gates and Dangote foundations to match the states’ investments in the sectors,’’ the US embassy stated.

    The embassy explained that in return, the Bauchi and Sokoto Governments agreed to earmark 1.8 million dollars to invest in routine immunisation and primary health care in 2018.

    “Under the agreements, both states will incrementally raise their funding contributions in these sectors to become self-sufficient by 2022’’.

    Haykin described the agreements as “new stage” in USAID’s partnerships with Bauchi and Sokoto states, which would adapt its health programming to the needs of the states to help extend life-saving treatment to millions across Nigeria.

    “I applaud the governors’ efforts to improve public health care service delivery in their states, and strongly encourage them to continue working towards optimising their state’s capacity to deliver quality, affordable health services to their constituents,” Haykin said.

    After the ceremony, Gates said, “Vaccinations are phenomenal in their impact because a child that has not been vaccinated is twice likely to die. We can prevent millions of deaths through routine immunisation”.

    NAN

  • Domesticate VAPP Act: Adewole appeals to state Governors

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on Friday appealed to state governments across the country to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in their domains pointing out that the benefits inherent in the law will help victims of violence learn to speak out instead of dying in silence.

    Disclosing that only three out of the 36 states including in the country have adopted the laws in their states, he said the awareness of the law in the states will also serve as a warning to people who takes delight in violating the right of others.

    Adewole made the appeal at the opening of a two-day training workshop for healthcare providers on standards and guidelines for the medical management of victims of violence developed by Federal Ministry of Health with support from a global non-profit organisation, IPAS, which held at Palms 77 Hotel, Ikolaba GRA, Ibadan, Oyo State.

    Speaking through the Director, Gender, Adolescent, School Health and Elderly, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Christopher Ugboko, the minister gave the names of the three states that have domesticated the Act to include, Ebonyi, Anambra, and Oyo States.

    Giving a background into the law, he explained that at the federal level, the VAPP Bill was passed by the National Assembly in 2015 and was subsequently got an accent of former President Goodluck Jonathan on May 25, 2015, saying “the passage by the National Assembly and endorsement by the President signaled an end to the hopelessness that characterised the prosecution of cases of violence against persons, particularly women and girls. It was a climax to 14 years of legislative advocacy by women’s groups and gender activists.

    “For states that have not domesticated it, the process is on. We are doing advocacy. What we are doing here today in Oyo State is also part of the advocacy. We believe the bill will go beyond the boundaries of Oyo State, to tell other states that it is time that they adopt the VAPP Bill because of the advantages that we are all going to reap from the adoption.”

    The advantages, according to him, would make it obvious to the victims of violence that they should “no longer keep quiet. People lose their lives to violence. Those that are still alive should begin to take steps to get justice. The VAAP Act, as it is called, meant that all laws dealing with violence under the criminal and penal codes have been superceded and are to be determined by a new set of guidelines. It provided a voice for the one in every three voiceless Nigerian women aged 15 to 49 years, who have suffered violence in their lifetime.

    He added, “But this being a federal law could only be operated within the Federal Capital Territory and required to be adopted by state legislatures to have effect in those domains. It is in this regard that I salute the authorities in Oyo State for being exemplary and displaying of the core issues with regard to violence.”

    Oyo State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan, represented by the Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Lanre Abass, noted that the Oyo State House of Assembly passed VAPP Law in 2016, saying although, penalties for different forms of violence were well specified in the VAPP Law, “but the economic consequences should be considered while the health consequences need to be properly managed.”

    The VAAP Act addresses several forms of violence that include “abuse,  accessory, accessory before the fact, battering, circumcision or genital mutilation, damage to property, use of dangerous weapons directed to a person, discrimination, exploitation, economic abuse, emotional, verbal and psychological abuse, harassment and harmful traditional practices.”

    The Country Director of Ipas, Hajia Hawa Shekarau, represented by the Programme Advisor, Bibian Amah, urged the healthcare providers and other stakeholders to ensure that the training “gets to the grassroots,” promising that the organisation would continue to do its best in supporting the gesture to eliminate violence against persons in the country.

     

  • World Tuberculosis Day: USAID pledges to support Nigeria

    The United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) has renewed its commitment to assist the Federal Ministry of Health to find and treat thousands of missing tuberculosis cases in Nigeria.

    Ms Minal Amin, Group Lead, Tuberculosis and Resource Mobilisation, USAID Nigeria, made this known in Abuja while briefing newsmen as part of the activities to commemorate the 2018 World Tuberculosis Day.

    Amin said USAID has been supporting the government of Nigeria’s response to tuberculosis since 2003; adding that USAID had a shared goal with government on reducing tuberculosis related deaths and disability.

    She said the agency was committed to support the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme in reaching its ambitious goal of ending tuberculosis in Nigeria.

    She commended the minister of health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, for his giant stride of declaring 2017 as a year accelerated tuberculosis finding.

    According to her, the agency has expended over 100 million dollars to support TB response programme in the past 15 years.

    “We look forward to the continued partnership and relationship with the government of Nigeria in making significant strides on TB control,’’ she said.

    Prof. Dipo Ladipo, Chief Executive Officer, Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), said tuberculosis detection in Nigeria was running at a level about 17 per cent due to many reasons.

    He said ARFH was a principal recipient of the Global Fund, and the association was working with the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme to improve awareness on TB at national, state and local levels.

    Ladipo added that the association via a funding from Global Fund was also working to improve TB detection rate and refer suspected cases to diagnostic centres for treatment.

    He, therefore, urged the media and other key stakeholders to evangelise tuberculosis and make it more visible public health concern because of the magnitude of the problem and mode of transmission.

    While speaking on the theme of the 2018 world tuberculosis day, Ladipo said religious leaders should play a leadership role to support the government by disseminating information about tuberculosis in mosques and churches.

    He also urged government to increase domestic funding of the tuberculosis response programme and encourage local production of TB drugs, stressing that most of the TB drugs in Nigeria are provided by donor agencies.

    According him, the TB partnership in Nigeria has worked tirelessly to reach the level where we are now; we require additional funding from the government to complement what the donors are doing.

    Dr Adebola Lawanson, National Coordinator, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme, said Nigeria has the highest burden of tuberculosis in Africa and it was ranked seventh in the world.

    Lawanson, represented by Muhammad Ahmad, a Deputy Director, said the federal government in collaboration with partners provided quality patient centred prevention, treatment and support free of charge.

    She said in spite of interventions by government, 2017 WHO Global TB report revealed that Nigeria was among the 10 countries that accounted for 64 per cent of the global gap in TB case finding.

    “Nigeria alone accounted for almost half of the total gap.

    “In 2017, Nigeria notified a total of 104 904 TB cases which is only 26 per cent of the estimated 407,000 cases for the country in 2017,’’ she said.

    The 2018 world tuberculosis day would be observed on March 24, to commemorate the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced his discovery of the germ that causes TB diseases.

    NAN

  • NHIS gets new Governing Council

    NHIS gets new Governing Council

    A new governing council, has been inaugurated for the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole in Abuja.

    The 11-member Council which is the highest policy making organ of the agency is chaired by Dr. Enyantu Ifenne, a paediatrician with an impressive track of academic, professional and public advocacy accomplishments.

    The Council members have since resumed work, holding meeting with both management team and cross section of staff of the agency.

    Addressing the management of the Scheme, Dr. Ifenne acknowledged that the Council members were familiar with the enormous challenges facing the organisation, and pledged that the council was committed to leading the process of resolving them.

    She expressed grave concern that the primary purpose of the Scheme, which is to make healthcare physically and financially available to all Nigerians, is becoming far-fetched.

    Evidence of this, she said, is the unacceptably low coverage level, which must be addressed vigorously by all stakeholders.

    Read Also: Extend NHIS to infertility cases, UITH chief says

    Dr. Ifenne also regretted that the Scheme has been consistent in the news in recent times for unflattering reasons, promising that she will take full advantage of the resourcefulness and vast exposure of the members of the council to address all thorny issues within the ambit of the laws setting up the Scheme.

    She reminded all that the bottomlines of every effort and activity within the operations of NHIS are the satisfaction of the enrolee with reference to the quality of care available to him at the points of service, as well as the guarantee that the dignity of his person is protected always in the health-seeking process.

    The NHIS Council boss, who reiterated that it is important that the legitimate interests of all stakeholders are respected for confidence building, gave assurance that she will lead the Council to provide the platform and environment for inclusiveness at all times.

    The Council Chairman emphasized that she and her colleagues are in the scheme “to soothen frayed nerves, heal wounds and inspire all to bond around the obvious common commitments that we have”.

    “As a mother, I appeal to all to drop the swords, relax the muscles, engage the minds and let’s get down to work”, she appealed.

    She promised the nation that her Council will direct the operations of the Scheme with due observance of transparency and accountability, to restore public confidence in the corporate integrity of NHIS.

    Dr. Ifenne said she is aware staff of the Scheme is sitting on edge, while public expectation is very high with the emergence of the governing council.

    She however assured all of fairness and equity at all times, while the council will work extra hard to raise the stakes for the Scheme, including leading high-level advocacies to advance the objectives of the Scheme in various zones of the country.

    Welcoming the Governing Council earlier, the Executive Secretary of NHIS, Professor Usman Yusuf expressed the confidence that the council will offer the Scheme a fresh breath of air, by dousing the tension in the system and leading the way forward.

    He therefore solicited the support and cooperation of management and staff of the Scheme for the council, to facilitate their constructive interventions and leadership.

    Other members of the Council present at the interactions were, Senator Bassey Otu; Mr. Lekan Ewenla, representing the Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria; Comrade Joy Josaiah for the Nigeria Labour Congress; Arc. Samson Rufai and Nasir Adamu, representing the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.

  • Minister warns board members against interference

    Minister warns board members against interference

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has warned boards of health institutions in the country not to interfere with the day to day running of the government agencies under them.

    Adewole equally reminded them that their appointments are on part time basis.

    Besides, the minister also urged members of the board to address the incessant strike actions and inter-rivalry in the sector.

    He spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the inauguration of the governing boards of Paratstals, agencies and institutions under the ministry. The boards that were inaugurated are: the Teaching Hospitals, Federal Medical Centres, National Orthopedic Hospitals, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospitals, National Health Insurance Schemes (NHIS) and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

    He said: “Except where expressly stated by statute, Board appointments are part time. Management of your Agencies and hospitals should therefore be allowed to perform the day to day running of these organizations without hindrance. Your allowances and entitlements as board members are guided by extant circulars that will be distributed to you in due course. Please acquaint yourselves with the circulars for proper guidance.

    “The principles of change, good governance and accountability in the affairs of health institutions must be adhered to. These essentially require adherence to extant laws, Circulars, and regulations. For emphases, I commend this to you as a useful tool towards achieving the change we all yearn for in the health sector.

    “It is the expectation of this administration that each Governing Board will put measures in place that will strengthen the resource base of your Agencies and Institutions, increase internally generated revenue and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of these resources in line with Financial Regulations. Procurement and Contracts are not your functions, as you are advised to keep strictly to the provisions of the procurement Act 2007, as provided by the Bureau of Public procurement.”

    He also reminded members of the various boards that as a creation of statutes, their responsibilities are to give policy direction to the management of Institutions.

    He added, “I therefore wish to emphasize that Government expects no less from these boards that are to be inaugurated today. Your Agencies are critical to the achievement of developmental goals of government, being implementing entities of the health sector. You are all enjoined to commit to achieving this mandate and to live above board.

    “The roles you are being called upon to play revolve around setting the standards for control and discipline which are the core elements required for any positive change to take place. Your appointments should be seen as an opportunity to make useful and selfless contributions toward uplifting healthcare service delivery in Nigeria.

    “For health institutions to have the desired impact on the lives of our citizens, they must be of the right quality, skill mix and right attitude to service delivery.”

    On the incessant strike actions in the sector, the minister said “It is your responsibility as Chairmen and Members of the Governing Boards to bring about this desired change in the short term. You must acquaint yourselves with the mandates as contained in the enabling Act of your Parastatal, Agency and Institution.”

    Read Also: Health minister inspects cancer treatment machine in Abuja

    The minister also reminded them of the task ahead of them, saying “when considered in totality, the task before you is challenging. I must prepare your minds on some of the key challenges within the sector, which will require your immediate attention as you assume duties.

    As new boards, he added, “There are continuing contentions and inter professional rivalry in the Health Sector. Right from the inception of this administration, the health sector has been overwhelmed with demands from various trade unions and professional bodies and associations within the health sector. The reports emanating from the sector has been that of incessant strikes, with attendant low productivity and resultant poor service delivery.

    “As Chairmen and Members of the Governing Boards, you have the primary responsibility to perform, which involves calming down frayed nerves, resolving industrial disharmony and ensuring an end to incessant strikes by trade unions in the health sector. We should make our hospitals better known for efficient and effective health care services than for the lack of such. Our ministry will support in any way to enhance resolutions where necessary.

    “Professional discipline amongst Health Professionals. This is one of the most important tasks you must carry out as Governing Boards. It requires due diligence, transparency, firmness and fairness. There is a significant number of cases of professional misconduct pending against some health professionals under your purview. These should be dispensed with expeditiously to ensure public confidence in the health sector.”

    The board he also said is “required to devise innovative ways of ensuring that health professionals across board, collaborate with each other in the spirit of professional interdependence and that they comply with prescribed Code of Practice and Professional Conduct while maintaining the highest ethical decorum in and out of the work place.

    “I urge you to take the accreditation of your various institutions by the various postgraduate medical colleges seriously and come up with innovative ways that would lead to accreditation where there is deficiency. You are to ensure that your Hospitals comply with the quality requirements and standards prescribed by the National Health Act, as you will be evaluated based on services delivered and in keeping with medical Audit. The National Tertiary Health Institution Standard Committee (NTHSC) will drive the Medical Audit process, prepare periodic master plans for the balanced and coordinated development of tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. You must cooperate with the Committee to achieve the objectives of the National Health Act 2014.”

    Irrespective of the challenges, the minister said they were carefully selected for the appointment.