FLASH | FG Scraps Salary For Medical House Officers And Other Health Interns

According to a report by a health Journal The federal government of Nigeria through the National Council of National of Establishment (NCE) has stopped the salaries of medical house officers, dental house officers, nurse interns, pharmacist interns, medical laboratory science interns and NYSC doctors.

This means, 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 now part of the continued training for doctors and other interns and therefore , they are no longer under any obligation to pay them 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 salary scale saying they will no longer pay HOs…

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.

Now, the government is saying housemanship and other health internships is a form of “studentship” and not supposed to be a paid job…

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 shal, 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 has banned house officers from earning salaries, what does the future hold for young medical graduates and also interns of other health professionals?