The Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, Ekiti State, Dr. Majekodunmi Ayodele, has charged medical practitioners in the country to embrace professionalism and research, to prevent crisis that could further cause decadence in the sector.
Ayodele also appealed to the restive workers of the health institution to shun rumours over the management’s response to the payment of some of their benefits .
Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Ayodele hinged the persistent crisis in the health sector to ego tussle among the medical workers, describing the scenario as dangerous to the development of the sector in the country, if allowed to fester.
He said the hospital, having assumed a Teaching Hospital status, would continue to fund research to promote professionalism.
Commenting on the persistent crisis in the sector culminating in the two months strike embarked upon by members of the Joint Health Sector Unions, Ayodele said: “One thing is very clear in the health sector, the doctors cannot perform the role of pharmacists, while pharmacists cannot perform the role of nurses or medical laboratory technologists and vice versa.
“So, no professional can refer to the other as inferior.
Though, I am not saying a doctor should earn the same salary as other professionals, but I believe they are independent of one another and they can work together if they forget the ego ‘thing’ for the sake of sector.”
He said his administration would continue to place high premium on the welfare of workers to motivate them and create an enabling environment for optimum health care delivery.
“To let you know how deeply I am concerned about the welfare of workers, the federal government had directed that health workers must not skip Grade Level 10, but I used to allow the movement of my workers from level 9 to 11 just to serve as incentive.
“Aside this, I made sure promotion is done as and when due. The noise my workers made last year prompted me to look for every means to pay the 2013 promotion arrears. I was one of the few CMDs in Nigeria who paid the benefit. That of 2014 has only been approved but has not been implemented.
“But in the case of the annual increment, which is the normal increment accruing to workers in the beginning of each year, only the federal government can give directive in this regard because it comes with personnel allocation. If there is no additional allocation to this hospital, there is no way we can pay.
“I have very diligent and dedicated workers, so I won’t toy with their welfare. And as much as possible, I will continue to reach out to all the unions for us to have a smooth relationship to meet the health demands of the Nigerian populace,” Ayodele said.
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