By John Ogunsemore
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako has called for a mechanism that will ensure industrial peace and harmony amongst the various union bodies in the health sector.
Salako made this call when he received members of the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standard Committe (NTHISC) on a courtesy visit, according to a statement signed by Deputy Director,
Information and PR in the ministry, Alaba Balogun.
The minister highlighted the importance of achieving and sustaining industrial harmony in the health sector, stressing it is critical to the attainment of President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for improving health care services in the country.
Salako emphasised that a mechanism that will stop industrial actions in a crucial sector as health is therefore key priority to rebuilding public confidence in health workers and the government.
The minister charged members of the NTHISC to initiate strategies in this direction to diffuse tension amongst the unions in the sector.
Speaking on financial constraints affecting the activities of the committee, he admonished members on financial independence for its sustainability.
The Federal Government, he added, will assist the committee on initiating a right path.
The Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Philip O. Abiodun was quoted as saying that a major challenge of the committee is funding and unequipped office accommodation, emphasising that the ministry’s intervention in addressing these constraints is very critical and essential to achieving its mandate.
The National Tertiary Health Institutions Standard Commitee which comprise seasoned health professionals was inaugurated in November 2023.
The committee has a mandate to make relevant investigations and recommendations to the federal and state governments on tertiary health care services in the national interest, advise the federal government on the financial needs (both recurrent and capital) of tertiary health services.
