I’M SURE YOU’VE ALL heard of the gaffe by our Honourable Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, yesterday when he was grilled by the Speaker of the House of Reps, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, during a session with the Presidential TaskForce on Covid-19.
The Speaker of the HOR asked our baba if the front-line medical staff treating Covid-19 patients were being paid any hazard allowance for the job that they do.
Our Minister of Health replied, “I’m not aware of it! It is a standard job that they do everyday!”
“But I thought you said the Coronavirus was novel? How is it a standard job?” the Speaker of the HOR quizzed.
“Because screening is what you do everyday!” Hon. Ehanire replied. He further added that, “They are screening for temperature!”
Now it is clear to all and sundry that even our very own Minister of Health, a surgeon by training, doesn’t even have any idea what his doctors and other health workers battling Covid-19 across the country pass through on a daily basis, let alone our hazard allowance, if any. He had to reduce our job to just screening for temperature.
Nigerian doctors don suffer shaa! 😥😥
In saner climes, the minister would have to resign honorably and with profuse apologies for not knowing the basis of his job at a critical time as this; but such things don’t happen in Nigeria.
It is such a pity, but we the health workers in this country are on our own. We’ve always known. Our basic monthly hazard allowance for our daily job (before the pandemic) is a meagre N5000 and it is same even now; however, at this rate, I’m not even sure our Honourable MoH is aware of that too.
This is totally unpardonable! Unfortunately, in Nigeria, anything goes!
I’m so embarrassed.
Remember:
The war against Covid-19 isn’t over yet. Stay home and stay safe!
+++Impossibility is nothing. Just believe++-
ChukwuGozieUnuNiile
~ Caséy Amaefule ©