Why government couldn’t honour pacts with health workers, by minister of state

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has explained the reason why the Federal Government was not able to honour some of the agreements reached with medical personnel in the country.

He said most of such agreements were signed by past administrations in haste without proper scrutiny of the demands presented.

He stated this while on a familiarisation tour to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) yesterday at a meeting with the hospital management led by the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Aminu Zakari Muhammad and leaders of workers union at the hospital.

Ehanire said, “We are trying to study all the agreements entered between past administrations and health workers unions. If you look at it critically you will know that some of these agreements were signed a long time before now and some are even confusing.”

“In order to arrest the lingering industrial dispute in the health sector, our administration is doing its best to see that all agreements are carefully studied with the aim of understanding them and proffering lasting solutions to issues involved,” he assured.

The minister debunked plans to lift embargo on employment in the sector, explaining that, “this administration is trying to encourage multi-tasking or task-shifting amongst health workers. If we want to increase efficiency in the sector there is the need for us to embrace task-shifting arrangement in our health facilities.

“From now on if you have any interest in shifting from a known area of duty to another, just apply to the CMD. You should make sure that you have the required qualification for moving to another area.”