THE PROBLEM WITH THE HEALTH BILL

 PRESS RELEASE TO MARK THE 46^TH ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL LAB SCIENTISTS OF NIGERIA LAGOS STATE                               BRANCH ON 13^TH JUNE, 2011.

Gentlemen of the Press, We salute your enthusiasm in ensuring that a health bill that promotes professionalism and foster team work among all the multi-discipline and multi- professionals in the health sector is passed to ensure that Nigerians enjoy the optimum standard of care replica of that enjoyed by their counterpart in developed countries.
In Europe and America, the health team is a multi-professional team with clearly defined boundaries all working together as a team to offer a quality service to their patients.  We  want to spend more time educating the public and the politicians on the need for professionalism in the health sector as it obtains in advanced countries.
We want to use this opportunity to educate the public on the roles of the various professions in the health sector to solicit public support. We always put the patients first in all we say and do about the health Bill. Our position on the Health Bill is to  advocate for that which will enhance the service delivery to patients in all our discussion particularly in the media.  Our Association wish to inform or remind the public that the health bill does not foster the interest of the multi-professional team in the health sector. Our Association will support the need for Nigeria to implement a health bill replica of that practised in most developed countries where professionalism and team work is the watchword. To buttress our position, we  challenge the public to do a research from the internet and from their families and relations abroad. They will find out that hospitals in the developed economy are run by hospital administrators (experts in health management) who are not health professional and that the health team which is a multi-discipline/professional team only play advisory role as members of the Medical advisory committee in the management of hospitals and working hard and bringing their professional expertise to bare to ensure that the public gets a quality health service. We strongly need public support. Not just mere support but support borne out of taking an informed stand on this bill based on awareness and education

No doubt, the National Assembly has good intentions in articulating the bill to strengthen the health sector. However, the reverse will be the case should this bill be passed in its current form. In fact, the National Health Bill in its present state will do more harm than good since the bill in its present form does not to take into cognizance exiting professional regulatory laws and statues in the health industry in Nigeria. The bill, will not only conflict with the existing regulatory laws and statues, but will increase the crises in the health sector in Nigeria. Therefore, the victims of this crisis shall be the innocent patients, healthcare professionals and the larger society that visit and patronize our healthcare facilities.

Please note that section 1 of the bill: Establishment of National Health System.

  (1) There is hereby established for the Federation; the national health system, which shall define and provide a framework for standards and regulation of health services…..  – this provision has already disdained and prejudiced various relevant existing professional regulatory statues in the health sector.

(2) Section (1) (1) (d) reads as follows: “set out the rights and duties of health care providers, health workers, health establishments and users….” This sub-section is not only ambiguous and irrelevant, but it also conflicts with and turns a blind eye on the existing laws that established the National Council on Establishment whose functions and powers are by law to prescribe duties and responsibilities for all cadres of workers in the public service through their various schemes of service.

Recently, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan returned the National Assembly Service Commission Bill passed by the National Assembly based on the discovery that some clauses in the Bill are at variance with existing regulations. With this, we are convinced that President Jonathan is not a President that will give assent to a bill that is not in the overall interest of all Nigerians. The Health Bill must be similarly returned to the National Assemble for corrections in those clauses that are capable of causing chaos and disharmony  in Health Sector in Nigeria.

Thank you.

Alh Toyosi Raheem (MSc; FMLSCN; FAMLSN; Cert immunol.)

National 1st Vce President, AMLSN.