BREAKING: FG scraps salary for medical house officers and other health interns…A new salary structure (different from that of civil service) for house officers and other interns to be drafted.
In a shock move that has left the medical community in Nigeria dazed, www.nimedhealth.com.ng can authoritatively report that the federal government of Nigeria through the National Council of National of Establishments (NCE) has stopped the salaries of medical house officers, dental house officers, nurse interns, physiotherapy interns, pharmacy interns, medical laboratory science interns and NYSC doctors and in the process removed them from the federal civil service structure.
READ ALSO: House officers salary in Nigeria
In other words, the salaries of all health interns in Nigeria health institutions including that of house job have been removed from the payroll of the federal civil service. In case you still don’t understand this piece of information, the federal government is saying housemanship (a paid mandatory one year service for fresh medical graduates) is part of the continued training for doctors and other interns and therefore , they are no longer under any obligation to pay them salaries as civil servants rather, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission will now determine their new salaries.
Before now, a house officer is on consolidated medical salary scale (CONMESS). With this decision, the federal government have removed house officers from the civil service salary scale saying they will no longer pay HOs as civil servants…FG is simply saying they no longer recognise HOs as civil servants and that the CMDs and MDCN through the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission should determine what they want to pay house officers and other health interns. HOs will still be paid but the problem
and worry is how much?
This information is contained in document dated 12th of April, 2021 and released by the National Council of Establishment (NCE is the highest decision making body in the civil service and duly signed by the head of civil service Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan….who is surprisingly a doctor that graduated as the best graduating dental student from the University of Ibadan in 1987.
The government is saying housemanship and other health internships is a form of “studentship” and not are therefore not part of civil service (servants). It went further to say yes, house officers will be paid, but their earnings should henceforth be determined by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. What it means is National salaries, income and wages commission will determine their pay like they do for others like Presidents, ministers, governors etc instead of them being attached to civil service pay structures.
The Press Release:
“Head of Service of the Federation
HCSF/SPSO/ODD/NCE/CND. 100/S.10/11/112
12th April, 2021
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME IN THE CIVIL/PUBLIC SERVICE
The National Council on Establishments (NCE) at its 42nd meeting held from 30th November 4th December, 2020 in lkeja, Lagos State reviewed the current status of internship programmes/housemanship/NYSC Doctors in the Service, and approved their removal from the
Schemes of Service as posts attracting grade levels in the salary structure.
The Council based its decision on the grounds that the period of these programmes/services form part of the trainings in their respective professions.
Interns shall, however, be considered for the payment of allowance to be determined by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
This approval will be reflected in subsequent edition of the Schemes of Service.
Signed
Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation”
This latest decision is not unrelated to the recent outcry, social media hashtags, and even open protests by house officers following the non- payment or half payment of their salaries after the centralisation by the medical and dental council of Nigeria (MDCN)…many health experts cited the the lack of cooperation of the hospital CMDs with the MDCN as the cause of the sour development. In the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and Jos University Teaching Hospital for example, house officers and other interns carrying banners, took to the premises of the management of the hospital to protest their financial hardship as a result of non-payment of their salaries.
Now that the FG no longer recognise house officers as civil servants, that means the salary structure will change (higher or lower?). What does the future hold for the salaries of young medical graduates and also the interns of other health professionals? Will the expected new salary structure of house officers and other health interns be favourable? We wait..
This article is the intellectual property of www.nimedhealth.com.ng
The proposed action of the government is unconscionable!
The disenfranchised house officers and NYSC doctors should join an online medical portal like https://medperson.co.uk where they will be paid for providing medical consultation to patients, on a “per patient basis” . Average doctor providing 200 x 20 minutes consultations per month earns around USD 4,000
The government will come to rue their hateful decision, one day!
With the situation in this country when there is no hope of getting a meaningful job of your career …..now the only benefits that medical student are gaining from the federal government has been stopped all in the name of we are still learning…by the rising and going down of the sun non of you and the entire cabinet who decides this saddened decision will not know anything call joy again down to your children and generations …..
Those who take this decision despise the fact that there is no hope of getting a better job in this nation the only benefits that medical student still gain from FG they put stop to it …i know if you are still breathing you and your children and generations will live on emptiness till you die
My heart bleeds for this country. Why would anyone want to make such a dangerous decision? It only puts the public at risk. Our society is devoid of love. After a doctor has benefited in the past as an intern as well as a doctor during youth service, you wake up one morning and do this??? In my opinion, it is wickedness of the highest order. We need God, we need love in this nation.
Comprehension of simple statements seems difficult to an average Nigerian…… what d circular infer is: Health interns would continue to enjoy financial benefits as usual bt not as Civil servants on a grade level. Afterall are they civil servants?
Thank you. I’m surprised and afraid of the way the so called ‘future doctors’ of Nigeria can be so clueless.
One even descended so low as to rain curses on the age mates of his/her parents.
You said it all….now let us know who has passion for his or her job
This I pure wickedness. This country is just so useless to my liking. How can someone in his/her right senses wake up one morning n make such stupid decision what does that mean. So if you refuse to pay the Ho’s n other interns how do you expect them to survive. Talk about the house rents they will n not to talk of there transportation too then they will still come to the hospital n work there ass of n you have the gut to say they are scrapped from payroll. To the person that made this rule or statement did you even sit down n think of the stupid decision you just made. You better think twice or it will come back n bite. Not making sense at all. That means NO PAY NO WORK/NO CALL. SHIKENA.
I can’t believe that out of the numerous problems in this country,what some mischievous persons that called themselves decision making body in which the head is a doctor could do, is to prevent the payment of Hos and interns…instead of trying improve their welfare…do you guys even know what these sets of professionals go through to get a space to intern?..do you think the school in which they graduated from post them to these places of service…do you know how much some persons had to pay to get a space for internship?..you people left our so called politicians who embezzles public funds with their monthly fat salaries that can feed a community,and all you could do was to come and stop the payment of Hos and interns..shame on you people..shame on Folashade who called herself a doctor…you passed through this process and you were paid this salary you are putting an end to..
This is the only compensation medical students get after all the suffering in school with no hope of getting a job after all the processes..
Let me remind you that this publication will not be taken likely and medical students will fight for their rights..if you want to end the program so be it..no medical student will render his or services for free because you tagged it a continuos academic process…it seems you forgot that a whole one year was set outside for these sets of people to be posted to different hospitals for the practical experience..the internship program was set outside for the demonstration of these experiences and to further enhance their experiences…you can’t just come and jeopardize the only source of medical students happiness..
Hmmmm which way Nigeria?
Really pathetic…
I’m not in a medical or medical related courses but my heart bleeds for them. The Civil service commission shifting the burden of payment to the National commission for wages and salaries is just a form of euphemism.Even if the National commission for wages and salaries would pay, the big Question is when and what amount would they offer that can put smile on the faces of the beneficiaries. May God bless Nigeria.