MHWUN threatens strike action over alleged failure by FG to implement retirement age increase 

By Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki 

The Medical and health workers union of Nigeria on Thursday threatened to embark on strike action, following alleged failure of the federal ministry of health to implement the Memorandum of Understand, MoU, on upward review of retirement age for medical and health workers in the country.

The National President of the Union, Kabiru Minjibir made this known while addressing its members during the 47th regular meeting of the tertiary health institutions national consultative forum, THINCF, held at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

He revealed that the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the upward review of the retirement age for medical and health workers union but the federal ministry of health refused to implement it, due to the resistance of the Nigeria Medical Associates, NMA.

“We have signed an MOU between JOHESU leadership and the federal government underthe aegis of the conciliation of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on 29th of October 2024.

“That MOU contains a lot of things.Part of the things that we signed is the increase of retirement age of our members from 60 to 65 yearsand 70 to 75 years for consultant,which we advised the Federal Ministry of Health to take that issue to the Federal Executive Council, because it has been taken to the National Council of Establishment three times without approval.So, we agreed on that MOU and the Ministry of Health obliged to thatand take the issue to Federal Executive Council and His Excellency, the President of the country,approved our request and said they should come back to Federal Ministry of Health, set up MoU to Head of Civil Service and follow due process.

“But unfortunately along the line, our professional colleagues decided to truncate that issue that we have been on since 2014 by saying that that increase in retirement age will only affect the clinical staff in the hospitals. Healthcare delivery is a teamwork and non-clinical staff also contribute to the development and progress of health in this country.

“And in all our requests, we have never ever said or demarcated between clinical and non-clinical staff.So why the division now?And secondly, in the MOU signed, we agreed for the implementation of consultant pharmacies cadre in all our federal health institutionsand a circular was issued from the office of the head of service of the federationand some tertiary health institutions started implementing. 

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“And now NMA is saying that should be reversed.I don’t think there’s justice in that. So they have issued a 21 days ultimatum to the federal government in order to truncate that MOU.

“So we are sending a signal to the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Health that altering any part of that MOU will not take it lightly.We have been patient, we have been asking our people to remain calmand this time around we will not hesitate to down tool as a result of that” he stated.

Responding, the Chief Medical Director, CMD, of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, AE-FUTHA, Robinson Onoh, applauded president Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ensuring prompt payment of salaries to medical health workers and provision of other incentives that creates opportunities for employment.

“We have brought in innovations and creativity into the health system, which has improved the health care services that is rendered.And we have also tried to do things that will reverse medical tourism in the country, in this institution” he stated. 

In a remark, the commissioner for health in Ebonyi state, Moses Ekuma who spoke on behalf of the governor, Francis Nwifuru, said the state government is tackling the challenges facing healthcare institutions in the state, especially the general hospitals.

He said that the governor, Nwifuru, is preventing the fleeing of doctors and medical personnel to JAPA, by  ensuring a robust payment of salaries to doctors and medical personnel, especially those working in the general hospitals in the state.

The Nations News reports that the  participants in the meeting were drawn from the thirty five states of the federation, including FCT, with the theme: “The way forward for Nigeria Healthcare system: challenges and opportunities, tertiary health in focus”.