The primary purpose of any hospital, its workers and medical staff is for the existence of patients and their well-being.
The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire made this assertion in his office yesterday when members of Joint Health Sectors Union (JOHESU) paid him a courtesy visit.
In view of this, the Minister advised the Union to always bear in mind that the most important persons in any hospital are the patients, “without the existence of the patients workers and medical staff of the hospital will not exist.”
He applauded the Union for coming to dialogue in order to ventilate their grievances rather than resolving to industrial action.
Dr. Ehanire called on the Union to maintain cordial working relationship with all other health workers because no staff in the health sector is less important than the other. He added that there is loss of confidence in government hospitals and it is the mutual responsibilities of all health workers and government to restore people’s confidence in the country’s medical institutions.
He said that the health sector is in a globally competitive environment with hospitals around the world as people travel far away in search of better medical care.
Ehanire added that some healthcare facilities in foreign countries are not better than the ones in Nigeria. He therefore urged Nigerian health workers to work together to achieve mutual objectives of the federal government in the sector.
The Minister reassured the Union to look into their demands, by approving the reappointment of their representations in some specialist hospitals, where vacuums were created by the demise of some of their members. He advised the Union to be patient with the federal government regarding budgetary allocation because the country is going through low revenue generation.
In his speech the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Abdulaziz Mashi Abdullahi, implored the Union to create awareness and synergy among their members in order to have good working relationships with all health workers and abide with the rules and regulations guiding the Union.
Speaking earlier, the Secretary of the Union, Mr. Olasuyi Abdulsalam, who represented the chairman, said that the purpose of their visit was to congratulate the Honourable Minister on his well-deserved appointment and to table some pressing concerns in the Union.
Mr. Olasuyi entreated the Minister to use his good office to appeal to the federal government to increase budgetary allocation for human and infrastructural development as this would eradicate brain drain experienced among health workers in the sector.
The Union informed the Minister about their forthcoming workshop organized to equip their members to function proficiently anywhere they found themselves.
Enefaa Bob-Manuel
Head (Media and Public Relations)
