By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Abuja has ring-fenced more than N1 billion to pay the benefits of doctors who died in active service in government hospitals, with the money paid their families.
Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige confirmed that the government has begun the payment of death benefits to deceased doctors and other health workers under the Group Life Insurance scheme.
He announced at a meeting with the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in Abuja that evidence was tendered by the office of the head of federal civil service to show that insurance companies have started paying up.
He said the meeting was very fruitful, and that evidence tendered corroborated what the federal Head of Service Folashade Esan had told a previous meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), per Vanguard.
“Over N1 billion is on for payment as death benefits. Evidence has been tendered about those who have received the cheques. And so, we are happy that something has been done in that direction in health institutions.
“This is apart from what happens in other government establishments covered by this life insurance,” Ngige explained.
He said the federal Budget Office tendered evidence to show that the N4.3 billion due to the Residency Training Fund (RTF) has been captured under personnel costs in servicewide votes in the 2021 budget
Work is in progress for those migrating from GFMIS platform to IPPIS, he added, and the budget and IPPIS offices have been given about 30 days to conclude all outstanding issues.
Panel set up on abolition of bench fees violators
A committee has been constituted to look into the issue of tertiary institutions not adhering to the abolition of bench fees.
“Bench fees are fees paid by residents to institutions where they have gone to acquire trainings that are not available in their original training institutions.
“They (resident doctors) have claimed that some training hospitals like Lagos University Teaching Hospital and University College Ibadan are not adhering to that agreement and a special committee has been set up under the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Health to look into it,” Ngige said.
“The Chairman of Committee of CMD’s, Prof. Jaf Momoh, who is the CMD of National Hospital Abuja, will assist him. We hope that matter will be sorted out in two weeks.
“With all these and others like consequential minimum wage salary adjustment arrears being taken care of, we hope that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NARD, which is billed to meet sometime [this] week, will be happy and then encourage their officers to dialogue.
“We don’t need strike anymore and they (resident doctors) agreed with me that we don’t need strike. So, it is work in progress. We thank them for the understanding they showed.”
NARD commends Ngige
NARD Vice President Arome Adejo commended Ngige for his intervention which he said has led to industrial harmony in the health sector, describing him as a lovely father, gentleman and elder.
“If more Nigerians were like Ngige, this country will be a better place. He has appealed to us and explained some things to us and we are reporting back to our NEC,” Adejo said, quoted by Vanguard.
“That is our role. As officials of the association, we don’t make decisions. We listen and take back to the NEC and we do so with all sense of commitment, patriotism and love to our fellow Nigerians.”
The NARD team was led by its President, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi.
Others who attended the meeting include Health Minister Osagie Enahire, Health Minister Permanent Secretary Abdulaziz Abdulahi, Labour Ministry Permanent Secretary Peter Yerima Tarfa, and Budget Office and IPPIS officials.