The Federal Government has announced a ban for medical doctors working in public hospitals to engage on private practice. The decision was taken at the Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council,FEC, meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Federal Government also said that henceforth the doctrine of no work no pay which was contained in the nation’s law would be invoked for workers embarking on strike.
In a joint media briefing after the FEC, the Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige noted that most of the unions that recently embarked on strike contravened the labour laws especially the Trade Dispute Act.
The ministers further disclosed that a committee had been set up for comprehensive evaluation of job done by workers especially in the public sector.
From Vanguard
*Now they can concentrate better cos most of them would rather spend time and invest in their private practices......I think this is a good move if the govt will pay them well and on time.
"...if the government will pay them well and on time". You see Stella that's where the problem lay. The government hasn't put the basic thing on ground to ensure this kind of policy works.
ReplyDeleteMake dem gear up for war with resident doctors. Na today?
Stella, this is not great news. These general hospitals are very terrible.private practice saved my life. Went to the hospital with an emergency on Monday, needed to see a cardiologist immediately, I was told to wait till Wednesday. I left, and went looking for a cardiologist to attend to me immediately.I was directed to one of the best in the state, he was able to give me treatment immediately. Meanwhile, I'd been at the teaching hospital since 8am that day, even when I was taken to the emergency ward,I wasn't given a single injection or medication. My husband got angry and asked them to discharge me immediately.....long story. My point is the management of the general hospitals is so messed up. Private practice has saved so many lives, including mine.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great news, the cardiologist is not available in the govt hospital becos he left his job in the govt hospital to his private clinic, this is one of the reasons why our govt hospitals are in shambles,
DeleteThis is the best news of the year in our health system.
The management of General hospital is messed up because it is the same Doctors that you were waiting to see that were busy seeing patients in private hospital. Or how many private hospitals do you think can employ an in-house Cardiologist? They keep the patients in General hospital waiting while they do their side job. So you see my dear it's great news!
DeleteAmacastel.. u re on point. They treat their govt job with a lackadaisical attitude and wait for u to come to their private practice so they can dig hole in ur pocket. This is good news
DeleteHow can you swear that the same doctor is that was supposed to be in govt hospital is the one in private hospital?
DeleteLet me give you facts , go to General Hospital in Lagos Island (the busiest general hospital on Lagos state), same place Davido and co dropped the dead tagbos body.
They have just one consultant Cardiologist. Cardiology clinic is usually a market place because almost everyone in this country has high blood pressure. Does the government employ doctors?
They employ very few of them and want to kill them with work. When I did my house job one of the best consultant cardiologists resigned after the other collapsed and died on duty and that left just ONE consultant. The govt hasn't even taken that seruoisly to employ more doctors. All they do is to make noise. There is even no seat for patients and even the doctors. Some of the desks are standing on 3 legs, one nurse or house officer will use leg to support it before it breaks patients legs.
During emergencies like Ebola, there were no single gloves in that hospital. What are we even saying.
Most consultants and doctors that are still in he public hospital are just there for COMMUNITY SERVICE.
even the xray machine is not working, they delivered an empty komkom that never worked from day one. They give out contracts to their own people to supply equipments and they look for the scrap and buy.
Our problem in the health sector is a very serious one. They need to start from the root and ask themselves questions.
Nigerians that are calling this food news won't ask them to force their children to attention Naija schools and also use Naija hospitals. Why is it the masses that will still suffer.
Why even mandate only doctors? What about Nurses,pharmacists,lab scientists,civil servants, Lawyers, teachers ,senators,governors.
Why not start with asking governors to send their children to their state schools and use their state hospitals.
Look at the billions Akpabio wasted in that Ibom hospital that just packed up. You think it is to build big hospital that is the problem. Well let's see how it goes. We can never get it right as a country.
Was this what America and Europe did to get to where they are today. We will never emulate good things instead we shove reponsibilities and play the blame game.
My in law is a resident Doctor in LUTH. She is the one paying the hospital to come and work o because she is doing her residency and they were not employing so instead of her exam results expiring next year she was forced to do that scam thing where they make doctors that has passed residency exams to pay to come and work and this will go on for about 6 years or more.
DeleteThis country is a dead place. So if doesn't a private hospital that is paying her salary ,where does she get money to even do anything.
Imagine you as a parent answering mama doctor for someone that is earning 60k a month after spending how many years in school and getting all manners of sickness in the name of profession. If they want to effect this Law,let is cut across all public offce workers and not just doctors.
Why only doctors?
Which smelly good move???
ReplyDeleteNice move...
ReplyDeleteStella this is no great news. The problem with the Nigerian health sector is far from doctors working at private hospitals. I wonder why the government will keep chasing shadows instead of making funds available to improve and equip our hospitals. Why are they witchunting doctors who don't even have common gloves,syringes etc to work with. I was once admitted in a government hospital and this particular lady doctor was the only person that has syringe in that hospital because she buys her stuff and doesn't depend on the hospital supply.
ReplyDeleteRecently Aisha and Zahra called out perm sec of State house clinic. How can you not have syringe and paracetamol in a whole state house clinic?
What about our senators and governors and teachers that have other businesses? What about Lawyers that have private law firms? Why call out only doctors? What about pharmacists and nurses who also work in private hospitals and have their own chemists just to make ends meet.
Do you know that these people are owed salaries and are not even paid in months?
Let our government stop chasing shadows. The best of them are already leaving the country every day to find greener fields abroad and soon we will be caught up in a serious problem with shortage of doctors.
Even abroad. You cannot stop anyone from working in as many places as they like. Instead put measures in place to ensure that everyone is at their duty post at the time you are paying them.
I cannot be employed to run shift in a govt hospital and then for the rest of my time in the evening I will remain idle by force.
Mind you,the best of the doctors will be paid double by the private hospitals to retain them leaving only incompetent ones for public hospitals. That lady for example, I am sure she doesn't get her money from government salary which is why she had time to be carrying her own syringe around and gloves.
This is not the best way out. They are signing our death certificates already with this rubbish. Our problem is that we don't always reason with our head. We rejoice because someone is being bullied not that we actually understand the logic behind it. Plus,how do they even want to achieve it? Do they even have records? Let the government go and equip the hospitals and leave health workers alone. Even if you pin a doctor in Aso rock, will they turn their eyes into syringe or X ray machine to use and work? HEll NO.
Ur head really has oil. No bi stella wey go dey 4 wia she dey cme dey shout great news 4 us not knwin' da pains one go thru evry single day...
DeleteAnon 8:25, as much as you sound well, you need to understand reasons behind such move. Most of these doctors have concentrate more on their private hospitals at the detriment of most Nigerians that can't afford private hospital. They took their time in building there own future company with no humanitarian they sworn wen the want to take the job. What Govt want is very simple, if you are for us(public service), you need to be available at all time wen ur attention is required.
DeleteAnd on the part of Govt, let all the equipment required be made available. I still stand to be corrected
Let the truth be told the problem is not the govt the problem is the hospital administations Which inturn are mostly medical Doctors, eg zarha rants that fund where made Avalible to the clinic admin who is a medical doctor but he & his management team choose to pokect the money ment for equipping For public, this is a normal norm in govt hospitals, Govt budget money for health every yr, excluding the money they realise from running of the hospital but the hospital mgt team pocket it, many of them use such money to build their own private hospitals at the detriment of the masses, I have had a first hand experience in one of the govt hospital in anambra state where a cmd sold New brand equipment provided to them from the state govt to traders in bridge head market, the syphone all the fund ment for hospital mgt into their personal pocket, WE ARE THE PROBLEM OF OURSELVES.
DeleteHow do you know that Government don't make funds available for the management of the hospitals?
DeleteAisha called out state house clinic because 3b was allocated to the hospital. You think the whole 3b got finished at the Government level. My dear, the CMDs of these hospitals have a lot of answers to give, and yes The CMDs are Doctors! The CMDs too embezzle and then come out to shout that they don't have things to work with.
Doctors have failed woefully in managing the healthcare system in Nigeria. The earlier we start voting in competent hospital leaders instead of just appointing the most senior Doctors, the better for us.
Whether state house or government being at fault... the thing is that money isn't getting to the doctors neither is it getting to the hospital so they can't afford basic things, are you trying to say if there's nothing for the doctors to use and treat they should tear their own skin, no they will rather grow themselves by providing their own hospitals where proper treatment can be administered. The government should first deal with themselves, before blaming the doctors. Why do we all work hard to send our kids to private schools isn't cus they train them better, most teachers in public schools do not even get motivated enough to teach when they are either being owed salaries or not enough tools are provided to teach the students. You don't just allocate funds to different sectors without making sure it is used adequately. If the president can supervise this and give immediate sack to people who divert these funds everyone would buckle up. You can't just leave the root of the problem and start with its branches. Telling them not to work in government offices is even enriching them the more because they are chief consultants who are very good, who don't need govt hospitals to survive, everyone would eventually run to their own hospitals leaving govt hospitals for the masses who can't afford to see them.
DeleteNot just that! They(federal government or the legislators) should also bans themselves and every public office holder from sending their kids abroad to get education.
ReplyDeleteLet their kids also attend the decaying educational system as the common man. Maybe only then would they be forced to take education seriously.
GOD BLESS NIGERIA.
Good move. I was once told by a doctor at the public hospital to come to his private clinic,if I want better treatment. This happen when I was 10,a decade later I still haven't done the operation.
ReplyDeleteEspecially doctors from last. One has his private hospital along. .. uses last prescription sheets in his private hospital, and only God knows what they take from public hospitals to their place. Which is why whenever you go to public hospitals, it takes ages or none to see the doctors as they are busy in their private practice.
DeleteYou have got a point there Sdk but they will concentrate nothing jare. Public hospitals is nothing to write home about and got nothing to offer. Anyways, we shall see to how they intend achieving that.
ReplyDeleteare*
DeleteDoes this apply to consultants as well?
ReplyDeleteThe docs should face where the money is, simple. If you feel private pays better, remain private, if public pays better,remain public. Then again govt owes public physicians, they don't pay them salaries, pls, y'all should go private n make ur dough.
ReplyDeleteSo how would they know they are not in private practice? Hope it works.
ReplyDeleteAnd what happens when they are being owed salaries by the same govt? They shud go begging? Pp is what sustains them in such situation, take lautech teaching hospital as an example. This can only work if the salary is regular.
ReplyDeleteI just wish dis would work,cos these doctors concentrate more on their private practices than their public jobs.They charge exorbitant fees in their clinics,imagine 5k just take card in d cheapest clinics.in govt hospitals they are not always on ground, even if they are their minds are in their clinics,receiving incessant calls from there, at d end of d day,they end up making wrong diagnosis or prescribing wrong treatments.
ReplyDeleteLol, it won't work! If I was a doc, I should leave my private hospital n depend on the govt who's owing salaries up n down? I rather resign from public service n face my business.
ReplyDeleteStella i don't see any great news here, government hospital is a total mess to, if you have appointments with government hospital know that you don't have any other thing to do on that day because they will so waste your time from morning till night in one hospital. 5 years ago my baby was ill from one general hospital to another because of no bed space, 3 of the general hospital rejected us because of bed space, finally i turned to private till dates.
ReplyDeleteGovernment has to demonstrate their commitment to better health care by ensuring all salaries pending are paid and they ensure prompt payment going forward.Also they have to equip all hospitals,they can start by doing it in phases.this way,our health care will be on recovery path
ReplyDeleteBoko who will enforce it . It's like all the beautiful laws we have. Corruption seats on all of them
ReplyDeleteWhen they are busy owing them for months? How is this great news??
ReplyDeleteFabmum
Good it is high time
ReplyDeleteGreat news? OK let's see how it goes. After med school u are paid peanuts if at all u get the money and they expect you not to do pp.ok...Even in the best countries with better pay, docs are into open not to talk of where a doctor can't boast of a tokumbo vehicle. What I heard that happened b4 in this country that we are yet to recover will repeat itself, where all doctors moved to better countries out of frustration. It's well
ReplyDeleteGreat news? @ stella! This don't make no sense. So how are these doctors gonna support their families. Is it the doctors fault they are underpaid and unpaid, yet overworked. Smh, anyways the best of us are leaving. Chew on that.
ReplyDelete