The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Minister of State for Health

  • Labour, FG on collision course over violation of Public Service Rule

    Labour, FG on collision course over violation of Public Service Rule

    Organised Labour are set for a possible showdown with the Federal Ministry of Health over the decision to reinstate the Medical Director of the Federal a Medical Centre, Owerri, Dr. Angela Uwakwem in contravention of the Public Service Rules.

    Labour is accusing the Minister of State, Dr. Osagie Ehanire who over sees Federal Medical Centres across the country of contravening public service rule 030406 by reinstating Dr.Uwakwem five days after she was formally arraigned before an Owerri High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) along with two others.

    In reinstating her, the Ministry had said that after due consultation, they found out that Dr. Uwakwem has not committed any offence.

    President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba told newsmen in Abuja that organised Labour was surprised that the Minister would order the reinstatement of a public officer who was undergoing criminal trial for fraud instead of interdicting her.

    Wabba explained that the public service rules stipulate where a prima facie case has been established against a public officer, such an officer shall be interdicted.

    He said that rather than interdicting her, the minister of State wrote a letter asking her to resume duty as the Medical Director of the Centre and given a full complement of security agents that led her into the FMC, Owerri despite protest by the five unions at the centre.

    Wabba said: “there were two issues in contention at the FMC, Owerri. Last year, we succeeded in resolving the industrial relation issue and referred the one that has to do with corruption and mismanagement of resources to the relevant agency of government which is the EFCC for investigation.

    “She was then suspended from office, while a caretaker management was put in place. We did not even know that investigations were ongoing. The EFCC concluded their investigations and established a prima facie case against her. She was formally arraigned in court on an 18 count charge on October 11, 2016.

    “To our surprise, five days later, the Minister of State for Health wrote a letter asking her to return to her duty post from the suspension she embarked upon last year and we felt that something is wrong somewhere because the is against the rules.

    “She went to the hospital with security men, including Mobile Police and right now, she is threatening the whistle  lower who wrote the petition against her and all the witnesses listed against her by the EFCC. Together with my counterpart in the TUC, we went to the senior Minister, Prof, Adewale to complain and he claimed he was not aware and that we should get a copy of the court papers for him.

    “We have obtained a certified True copy of the suit filed against her by the EFCC and my colleague in the TUC has forwarded it to the Minister. All we are saying is that government must live by example. They should not been seen to be going against the laws of the land.

    “Infact, rule 030409 of the civil service rules require her to her to inform her employers who, in this case is the Ministry of Health that she has been charged to court. She has not done this”.

    “We are going to write to the President, the Presidential Committee on Corruption, the Minister of Justice and other relevant agencies of government putting them on notice. If nothing is done about this, we will have no option than to protest.”

    Wabba said reinstating her back to her position as Medical Director of the Centre while she is undergoing g trial can impede the course of Justice as it may give her the opportunity to tamper with evidence against her as well as intimidate witnesses.

    He said “immediately she resumed duty, she queried the staff who petitioner her and threatened the witnesses listed against her. She has even threatened not to pay their salaries”.

    Wabba said reinstating Dr. Uwakwem when a case of corruption has been established against her will rubbish the anti-corruption crusade of the zhuhai administration and warned that the union will not accept such an action.

  • ‘Inadequate staff: adopt the concept of multi-staff shifting’

    ‘Inadequate staff: adopt the concept of multi-staff shifting’

    Minister of State for Health, Dr. Emmanuel Osagie Ehanire on Tuesday, in Kano, advised Chief Medical Directors of Teaching and Specialist Hospitals in the country to henceforth adopt multi-staff shifting concept to cushion the effects of acute staff shortage currently being experienced in the hospitals.

    Ehanire, who spoke at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) during a familiarization visit, gave indication that the Federal Government was indisposed in the case of mass employment of staff into specialist hospitals, due to the current dwindling financial status.

    The Nation reports that over 170 million Nigerians are making do with only 30, 000 Doctors across the country.

    According to him, “as for the employment case, I have told the Chief Medical Director here (Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital) and other CMDs that where there are very critical areas of need, he should make a presentation for manpower increase in those areas, we are ready to support that one”.

    “But there are other areas where the Federal Government is determined to go with efficiency; and we use what we have to get what we want. I am advised already that they should try and do what is called staff-shifting. People who are employed in certain areas, train them to go into other areas where there is severe shortage. Others where you can do with five people and you have seven; you take two and train them to go to somewhere else.

    “Staff-shifting and also some people will have to go for multi-tasking, that way, you are going to a level of efficiency, that takes health-care delivery to a higher standard, because, if you want to compare yourself with developed countries, you look at the Teaching Hospital, you look at the bed-capacity.

    “Now, you want to compare yourself and staff strength to a typical hospital of this size, in Europe, in London, you will find out that they are dealing with half of the staff that we have here. So, it is because of efficiency that you see them performing. So, this is what I have already discussed with the CMD, identify where we need people critical, make the presentation and we go for it.

    “But on the whole, try and make the most judicious use of the staff just as we of human resources, as we make of material resources, as we make of financial resources; so you have financial resources, use it wisely, you have material resources use it wisely, and you have human resources which you are expected to make use of in the most efficient way so that you are carrying a huge load of staff.”

    He also advised Doctors to show patriotism by ensuring commitment to their duty, insisting that normally, Doctors and health workers are expected to work 40 hours in a week, “so, get a full work-load, and expect a full salary,” he added.

    Commenting on the lingering disagreement between Federal Government and health workers, including Resident Doctors, the Minister insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is committed to ensuring the welfare of health workers.

    He, however, noted that most of the agreements and negotiations and interventions cannot be hurriedly implemented as they are being critically studied.

    He further stated that, “on the assurance of the implementation of the agreements with health workers; just as I have said before, this is a new government, you know that very well; and the agreement  that this government has reached have always held light.

    “But there are some of these agreements that were reached as far back as 2009/2012 that you are talking about; and that are part of what I said earlier that we are still studying parts of these agreements. We are trying to understanding and looking at them critically and carefully, so that you don’t start implementing it blindly—because these are agreements that yourself didn’t sign, you didn’t know it and you didn’t understand it.

    “That is part of the negotiations that the Doctors are talking about just now. So, what we are doing is to understand what went wrong in the past, how we got to where we are and how these agreements were made and so on.

    “So, it is not that government is running away from it, but the issue is that we have to understand what agreements are on the table. Some of them were long, some of the winding and as some people have said, some are a bit confusing because they multiple circular. So, you have to know what you are doing before you start implementing,” he concluded.

     

  • Health minister calls for voluntary blood donation to save lives

    Health minister calls for voluntary blood donation to save lives

    Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehianire has called on Nigerians to voluntarily donate blood so as to save lives.

    Ehianire who urge more people to take interest in blood donation noted that only 10% of the country’s national blood supply is from voluntary donations, while 60% comes from commercial blood donors and 30% from family members.

    The minister who was speaking on the occasion marking the 2016 World Blood Donor Day with the theme “Blood connects us all” said the trend needed to be reversed towards attaining 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donation by the year 2020.

    In this light, he said NBTS bill which will grant the NBTS the autonomy it requires to carry out it’s mandate was being prepared for submission to the Federal Executive Council and onward transmission to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill.

    The minister further revealed that “considerable progress has also been made in institutionalizing a blood rotation scheme with leakages established with hospitals in both urban and rural communities.
    This he said, “Will ensure increased access to safe blood and impact our maternal and child health indices, positively.”

    Ehianire, who urged Nigerians to voluntarily donate blood, said this has become necessary to “meet the ever increasing need for safe blood in Nigeria, the present estimated blood need of about 1.7 million units per annum.”

    This figures he whoever said might increase when juxtaposed with the current burden of sickle cell disease, which is estimated to be around 3.5 million cases.

    Currently, the blood collection for 2015 was 60,385 units while 45,394 units of blood were used for blood transfusion purposes in various hospitals nationwide.

    The minister also warned that any infected blood transfused has serious consequences, and NBTS needs adequate funding to ensure consistent supply of safe blood, a task which requires the support of the Federal Government, multilateral and bilateral agencies and Non-Governmental Organisation.

    Speaking on what NBTS would need to be effective and efficient annually, Head of the agency,  Dr. Olwatoyin Smith, it  will need about $5 million dollars annually to provide adequate and reliable supply of safe blood.

    She said, “What the NBTS actually required to survive on a yearly basis is upward of $5 million.”
    She however said that the agency was very happy with what has been budget for it in 2016.
    She said the N28 million budget for NBTS was a far cry to what it has been getting in time past hoping that the figure will however  be doubled in the coming years.

    Also, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, on World Blood Donor Day 2016 said Blood transfusion has an essential life-saving role in all aspects of health care including maternal and child care, particularly in cases of haemorrhage during or after childbirth, severe anaemia; for victims of trauma and accidents; and in the event of man-made and natural disasters. It also supports complex medical and surgical procedures in health care, among others.

    In the WHO African Region, he said “the demand for transfusion of blood and blood products is high and the national blood transfusion services are facing the challenge of making sufficient, safe and quality blood and blood products available. From 2013 to 2016, blood donations rose from about 3.9 million units to 4.4 million units. That is 11.4 percent of increase, but this will still cover only around 50 percent of the annual requirement of blood. So far, only 21 countries are collecting 80 to 100 percent of their national blood needs through voluntary unpaid blood donors.

    “The shortage of blood in most countries in the African Region is often due to the weak implementation of policies, and lack of systems and structures to ensure an adequate supply of safe blood and blood products to meet the needs of all patients requiring transfusion. In addition, most young people and adults have not yet embraced the culture of voluntarism when it comes to blood donation.

    “I express my gratitude to voluntary unpaid blood donor for their regular blood donation and thank blood donor associations, nongovernmental organizations and volunteer groups which are working alongside health workers to make safe blood available throughout the African Region.

    “Concrete actions are needed to improve the safety, quality, accessibility and timely availability of blood and blood products in the African Region. As we commemorate World Blood Donor Day, I call upon every healthy person, national health officials, patient groups, professional societies, civil society organizations, the private sector and international organizations to work towards ensuring their countries’ self-sufficiency in safe blood and blood products. This will contribute towards achieving universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goals in the African Region.

    “WHO remains committed to continue to provide technical support to Member States to strengthen service delivery and safety as well as improve access to safe blood and blood products for patients in need in the African Region.”