Abuja residents at risk as over 30 doctors to go
· Medical Council to wade in
By Sarah NEGEDU
Several medical doctors, especially consultants and clinicians, in the employ of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, may be forced out of the system following the implementation of the newly revised Public Service Rules, PSR, which prescribes an eight year tenure policy for those in the directorate cadre.
The policy, which was revised before the end of the President Muhammadu Buhari, but took effect from July 27, 2023, stipulates that a director or its equivalent as may be prescribed by other MDAs, shall compulsorily retire upon the attainment of eight years in that position.
The Abuja Inquirer gathered that over 30 doctors, mainly consultants, could be impacted by the retirement directive and with dire consequences on the FCT health care delivery.
Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, while unveiling the newly-revised PSR, at the State House, said the policy also stipulates tenure system for permanent secretaries who shall hold office for a term of four years and another renewable term based only on satisfactory performance.
With the huge gap in the doctor-to-patient ratio in Nigeria, mostly due to brain drain and the recent “Japa” syndrome, many are worried if the revised Public Service Rules will not further compound an already bad situation, especially for the FCT with its high population.
Though sources at the Health and Human Services Secretariat of the FCTA say they are still waiting for the Human Resources Department to work out the details of doctors to be affected by the policy, many are worried that the nation’s capital could be on the verge of witnessing an unprecedented dearth of medical practitioners to attend to its growing population.
A top management staff of the Health and Human Services Secretariat, who asked not to be named as she was not permitted to speak to the press, said the revised PSR policy was unfair to health professionals as doctors are mostly employed at Grade Level 12 and therefore, takes no time to get to Grade Level 17.
He hinted that a number of consultants and medical directors would be forced to retire even before they clock the mandatory 60 years retirement age.
“The revised PSR is a government policy and like all government policies, it cannot be questioned since it is believed to be done in the best interest of the public service.
“However, health professionals should be exempted from this particular policy, because in the first instance, young doctors are employed at grade level 12, and most of the time a lot of them are below 30 years old.
“So, do you expect them to leave 45 or 50 years? Also, consultants start from Grade Level 15 and in the next two to five years such Consultants would be on 17. So, we will be seeing young doctors in their 40s or early 50s being forced out of the system because of this policy. So these are the issues.”
Investigations by The Abuja Inquirer indicates that the Human Resources Department is currently working on staff files to ascertain the number of staff, as well as medical doctors, that would be affected by the newly revised PSR.
Our correspondent gathered that men from the HR were at the Health and Human Services Secretariat, last week, to compile the list of medical personnel that will have to leave the system.
The Chairman, FCTA chapter of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, Dr. Emmanuel Musa, who spoke to The Abuja Inquirer, said the chapter was still waiting for the Human Resources Department to come up with the list of doctors likely to be affected by the new PSR policy as none of his members have been served letters on the issue.
He said the association will only make its stance known after any of its members was served a disengagement letter.
An earlier appeal from the Federal Ministry of Health to exempt medical doctors outside hospital settings from the public service rule of eight year tenure policy was rejected by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
In a memo dated over a decade ago, the then Director Establishment and Industrial Relations at the OHCSF, Mr. Ukomadu, stated that the exemption granted was for medical doctors in hospital settings only.
The letter dated April 23, 2012, asked that medical doctors affected by the 8 year tenure but are not within the hospital setting, could apply to transfer their services to any of the general hospitals if they so desire.
The memo was titled: “Appeal for the Review of the Application of the Eight Years Tenure Policy to Thereby Exempt Health Professionals in General, Especially Medical/Dental Officers in the Federal Ministry of Health From Its Effects.”
It reads, “I am to state that the tenure policy is extant and covers all officers on SGL 17, including Permanent Secretaries. The exemption granted is for Medical Doctors in the hospital settings. The affected Medical Doctors are not within the hospital setting, and if they so desire to be exempted, they could apply to transfer their services to any of the general hospitals.
“Accordingly, I am to advise the ministry to enforce compliance with the provisions of the secular, and the reasons adduced to waive its application to the affected Medical Doctors is unattainable and capable of creating an invidious precedence in the service.”
