By Hassan Zaggi
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has appealed to health workers who may have any grievance(s) to first of all write to or call the health ministry so that the issue(s) will be discussed.
He made the appeal at a media briefing organized by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja, Monday.
He noted that the Health Ministry has the capacity to discuss, resolve and take care of any issue in-house.
“I want to use this medium to appeal to all health workers who have issues either with payment or with organization to please channel it to the appropriate quarters- to the ministry for resolution because we can look into these things and deal with them in-house and take care of them.
“That is why we are there. If there is anything, you can write to us, you can call before it is misunderstood,” he said.
He disclosed that the one week industrial action embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) was suspended “following continuous dialogue, constructive engagement, and response to grievances that were tabled, like payment of hazard and inducement allowances and provision of PPEs.”
The minister appealed to those who have tested positive to COVID-19 to make sure they are registered and are in a supervised care and properly managed.
“I want to appeal to those who have tested positive to make sure they are registered, they are in supervised care, either institutionalise or in a facility, but it must be managed,” he said.
The minister cautioned that: “Those who are doing home care are not doing the right thing. Anybody who is positive should be under some kind of guidance and treatment or observation.
“It ranges from the very severe intensive care unit to the high dependency unit to the more moderate and not severe close monitoring and up to just supportive management, but it must be managed and known and have a number and where you are must be known and a case manager assigned to you.”
