THE tension in the Nigerian health sector took a different turn yesterday, as the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) alleged massive corruption in the sector. The body has therefore called on law enforcement agencies to probe the issue.The union is particularly worried about how funds are allegedly spent in tertiary hospitals and want the issue looked into. President of NUAHP), Felix Faniran told journalists in Abuja, that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offenses Commission (ICPC) should immediately step into the issue and save the country. He also urged the Federal Ministry of Finance to institute an audit into how funds are expended in all the tertiary hospitals in the country. He described the office of Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC) in tertiary hospitals as illegal, alleging that it is a drain pipe . His words: The resident doctors do most of the work in the hospitals and the consultants take the money. That is fraudulent. Note that those we call consultants are university lecturers. They have their full time jobs in the universities. These consultants receive not less than N400,000 to N500,000 every month. They receive more allowances than the salary they take in the universities. The government must remove this fraud.” On the post of DCMAC), Faniran said: “Our stand is that this post should be abolished because it was not provided for in the Act U 15 LFN 2004 that governs teaching hospitals. It is therefore an illegality. “It constitutes a drain pipe on the finances of the hospitals and encourages fraud. We are calling on the ICPC and the EFCC to set their dragnets on the various hospitals in Nigeria. A lot of fraud is taking place there. “We also call on the Minister of Finance, Okonjo Iweala, to do a special study of how funds are expended in the various hospitals.” He however condemned the decision of the Federal Ministry of Health that only those registerable with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria could use the designation ‘Consultant’, stressing that “ is it not only a ruse, it is false, incorrect, wrong and unacceptable”. “The Circular of July 18, 2014, issued and signed by the Minister of State for Health, Khaliru Alhassan, is improper and unauthorized. The same circular contains paragraph 1.1 which is contradicted by 1.iv. That circular is null and void and highly contemptuous of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria judgment of July 22, 2013 and should therefore be withdrawn immediately in the interest of justice and industrial peace,” he stressed. Faniran however disagreed with the government in suspending the residency programme for medical and dental practitioners because it was ill-timed.The group therefore called for the overhauling of the residency training programme, saying that it should be expanded to include other health professionals who are equally entitled to residency training so that it will be open to all. “We therefore appeal to Mr President to review his current action but in doing so, the programme should be expanded to include other health professionals who are equally entitled to residency training. “To put an end to crisis in the health sector, government should allow a playing field for all heath workers rather than discriminatory practices. NMA and similar unregistered bodies should desist from illegal strikes and learn to comply with laws of the nation and relevant directives. The Yayale Ahmed Committee should conclude her assignment soonest and her report must be implemented immediately. An all-encompassing stakeholders’ forum should be convened under impartial arbiters to solve all existing conflicts in the health sector and team spirit and team work should be embraced by all health workers in patients’ interest rather than self interest.”
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 08:38:23 +0000
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