Communiqué Issued at the End of the 3-Day Consultative Meeting of JOHESU and AHPA

Communiqué Issued At The End Of The 3-Day Consultative Meeting Of Joint Health Sector Unions (Johesu) And Assembly Of Healthcare Professional Associations (Ahpa) Which Was Held From Tuesday, February 6, To Thursday, February 8, 2018 At Mhwun National Secretariat, Ayuba Wabba House Area 1, Garki Abuja

The meeting took off on a cordial note after prayers. After usual and very exhaustive deliberations, the following observations and resolutions were agreed upon:

1. The JOHESU/AHPA lamented the delay tactics and deliberate foot-dragging of the Federal Government in approving the adjustment of CONHESS scale as was done for CONMESS since January 2014 and also replicated with yet another approval for the same CONMESS in September, 2017 for the Medical Doctors. The JOHESU/AHPA communicated its discontentment on this development to the appropriate quarters of government.

2. JOHESU/AHPA called on the FG to urgently revisit the constitution of the membership of the boards of all the Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) as the list of members published in December 2017 seriously violates the Teaching Hospital Act which provides that a representative of health providers must be appointed on all the boards.

The JOHESU/AHPA put on record that the FG on a sad note did not appoint members of JOHESU/AHPA on the boards despite the fact that a formal list was sent to the Federal Government on request. Thereby, breaching one of the terms of its September 30, 2017 Terms of Settlement to redress the perennial lopsided composition of the boards of the FHIs.

3. The JOHESU/AHPA commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, H.E, the Rt Hon. Yakubu Dogara CON as well as the Chairman and members of the House Committee on Tertiary Health Institutions led by Hon. Betty Apiafi for granting audience to the leadership of JOHESU/AHPA.

JOHESU/APHA Strongly urged the House of Representatives members to facilitate enhanced access to healthcare in the country, boost strategies to institutionalise Public Health reforms to counter the menace of clinical disease state like Lassa fever, Ebola and monkey-pox in the country, as well as a passionate plea to intervene in the unending cycle of discriminatory output of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) in dispensing privileges and resources to the various cadres of health workers in Nigeria.

4. JOHESU/AHPA critically evaluated the seeming unending tenure of the CEOs of some of the FHIs and called on the FG to invoke the spirit of existing circulars to entrench due process the public interest.

5. The JOHESU/AHPA resolved to reconvene after 21 days of its communication to the Federal Government if there is no positive response. JOHESU/AHPA declared that after 21 days with effect from today, February 8, 2018, it might no longer be in position to guarantee industrial harmony in the health sector.

6. Finally. JOHESU/AHPA appealed to its restive members for calm while the leadership appraises and monitor the resolve of the Federal Government to fully comply with the Terms of Settlement with JOHESU on September 30, 2017.