APARTHEID: THE BANE OF THE NIGERIA’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

By Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim FPSN. Former 1st Deputy President of the Pharmaceutial Society of Nigeria (PSN)

“Everyone is crying out for peace.  But man is crying out for justice. I don’t want no peace. I need equal rights and Justice” - Peter Tosh

In the past few weeks, health professionals under JOHESU have been on strike over the implementation of collective agreement signed between them and the Federal government.


Out of sheer arrogance, the NMA warned the Federal Government against implementing the agreement and threatened to go on strike if implemented.

This is because medical doctors in Nigeria regard themselves as lords and masters over every professional in the health sector. Not only that, they treat others with disdain and contempt as can be read in some of the things they have been writing of recent.

Doctors in Nigeria do not regard other health professionals as members of a team working towards delivering service to the most important person in the healthcare delivery system (the patient). The NMA just told us that they are the most important people in the hospital and all the rest work FOR THEM!

They oppress others by making themselves administrators, through entry points, denial of promotions and refusing to implement schemes of service of other professionals duly approved by government.
This has led to intense rivalry and disharmony in the sector.


Health administration does not require clinical knowledge! The International best practice is for Hospital Administrators to Head hospitals while doctors lead the clinical team to deliver care to patients in a complimentary manner.

Do you know that the countries with the best health indices do not have Physicians as Ministers of Health? This apartheid system operates only in Nigeria (where everything about health must be headed by a medical doctor). They even took over and destroyed a DRUG control agency (NAFDAC) in the recent past when the law requires a Pharmacist to Head the agency.

See below some countries with the best health indices and their ministers of health:

COUNTRY; MINISTER OF HEALTH; SPECIALTY

France; Morisol Touraine; Economics.

Italy; Beatrice Lorenzin; Journalism & Politics.

Dan Marino; Didier Gamerdinger; Law.

Andorra; Cristina Rodriguez Galan; Molecular Biology.

Malta; Christopher Fearne; Medicine.

USA; Alex Azar; Law

Germany; Spahn; Law.

Saudi Arabia; Tawfiq Al Ravish; Mathematics.

Israel; Yaakov M. Litzman Torah.

Spain; Dolors Montserrat; Law.

India; Jagat Prakash Nadda; Law.

Canada; Genette Petitpas Taylor; Social Works.

So where did Nigerian doctors get this Apartheid belief that Ministers and Commisioners of Health must be doctors?
A look at the above appointments is a testimony that performance index is dependent on neutrality and administrative prowess and not on ‘medical qualification’ as commonly claimed by Nigerian medical doctors.

Incidentally the Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhamon, an Ethiopian, studied Biology. If he, and all those above, were in Nigeria, NMA would have protested.

This is the best opportunity for the government of Nigeria to take the bull by the horns and restructure the health sector so that doctors will practice Medicine and leave administration to administrators so we can have some peace.

Until the Philosophy that holds one professional group superior and another inferior, is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, there will be no peace in the health sector.

#ThisIsTheChange.