Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world and is still recovering from a civil war. Health workers have demanded extra pay as their workload is set to increase as the country prepares to introduce free medical healthcare for pregnant women, breast feeding mothers as well as children under five years old. The Sierra Leone government had initially refused to grant the health workers wishes, so they went on strike. The president attempted to threaten the health staff by insisting they return to work or face being sacked. However, the staff stood their ground and after ten days of strike, the Sierra Leone president Ernest Bai Koroma agreed to increase their pay six-fold.
The stoppage of work led to the closure of the country’s main children’s hospital. Several wards at the main maternity hospital in the capital Freetown have also been shut while army and police nurses have been drafted in. The president reported that his main fear was that the industrial action may have led to some deaths in the country. The government had earlier said the most it could afford was to double the health workers’ pay. President Koroma had, however said their demands were justified. Doctors in Sierra Leone would now get a take-home salary of equivalent to $600 a month, up from $100. Nurses currently earn $27 a month. Sierra Leone has one of the world's highest rates of maternal mortality and is trying to reduce the number of yearly deaths and improve their health care facilities.
Similarly in Nigeria, I believe healthcare workers are severely underpaid. Something Nigeria lacks is a sufficient number of quality medical doctors. In general, medical training is the same everywhere in terms of academic subjects. Every doctor takes the basic classes such as biochemistry, microbiology, anatomy, physiology, genetics, pharmacology, etc. However, the availability of expensive equipments sets foreign trained doctors apart from doctors trained locally in Nigerian institutions. A doctor trained overseas is more likely to have superior knowledge, owing to his exposure to modern medical equipments. This is evidenced by the fact that the affluent in Nigeria travel abroad for major medical care. When I asked a few medical professionals and locals what could be done to improve our healthcare, there was a familiar response that, if Nigerian doctors resident abroad could return to Nigeria to serve the local community, our nation would be better off in healthcare. How is this a solution I wonder? Imagine this… you are abroad with constant electricity, water, civil law enforcement, good roads, working in a well-equipped hospital not to mention the fact that as a doctor you are highly respected and get paid over $40,000 per annum in comparison to $4,000 in Nigeria (if you are lucky). Why in your right mind would you return? Let’s be realistic. Until the average salary of a typical Nigerian doctor increases ten-fold, chances are that the plea for Nigerian medical doctors to return home would continue to fall on deaf ears. Here is my solution; drastic measures call for drastic solutions. If all doctors here were to imitate Sierra Leone and strike…I’m just saying.
It would be very unfair of me to report on the weekly world headlines without drawing attention to the highly controversial statement made by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi who said Nigeria should be divided into several states along ethnic lines. He said Nigeria should follow the model of Yugoslavia, after previously saying it should be split into two - along the lines of India and Pakistan.
He recently said Nigeria should be split into a Muslim and a Christian country to end communal clashes. That prompted a furious Nigeria to recall its ambassador to Tripoli. Nigeria's foreign ministry said Col Gaddafi's initial comments were "irresponsible". A Nigerian senator called Col Gaddafi, until recently head of the African Union, a "mad man".
Some Nigerians disagree with Gaddafi, some concur but everyone seems to have an opinion. Well here is mine…It is well known that the oil in Nigeria is mainly found in the south and east, however those controlling the finance that comes with being oil-rich are situated in the north. If the country splits into two or three some will have access to the oil, others in the dry north will not. What will happen when these people attempt to cross the imaginary line we call a ‘border’ into the territory to gain access to the oil wealth they are so used to being at their disposal- Death and social unrest. Whether you agree with Gaddafi or not, Nigeria will not split unless there is no more money, no more oil. The only thing I commend Gaddafi for is at least he is thinking, he is offering an idea – it may not be the best of ideas. Who else has come up with any solution to stabilize Nigeria? (Remember this is just my opinion).
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