The Federal Government yesterday described decision by the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, and Assembly of All Healthcare Professionals, AHPN, to suspend services in all public health facilities across the country for three days, effective from today, as "totally unnecessary and unwarranted."

The government's position was contained in a statement signed by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Amb Sani Bala.

The government said the statement "is in response to the patently untrue allegation by JOHESU that the Federal Ministry of Health has virtually not succeeded in implementing any of the issues in contention."

All contending issues for which the workers are suspending services, the statement said, were being resolved by the government.

On the skipping of CONHESS 10 which the workers accused the government of failing to implement, the Federal Government said that it had in a memo dated 15th November, 2013, conveyed a directive to all Chief Medical Directors, CMD, and Medical Directors, MDs, for their compliance with its implementation.

The statement said: "The circular dealt fully with this aspect of the judgement of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria pending the outcome of the appeal filed by the Federal Ministry of Health."

Other issues listed in the statement for which directives had given for implementation are issuance of circular on consultants "in line with the ruling of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria"; issuance of Circular for the payment of Specialist Allowance to deserving officers; issuance of Circulars to Boards of Hospitals on Promotion of Eligible Officers to CONHESS 15; and, withdrawal of Circular on Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC) Others are Collective Bargaining Committee to review the 2009 Collective Agreement to be set up by the Federal Ministry of Health with the Federal Ministry of Labour and National Salaries and Income and Wages Commission as observers; and, the Collective Bargaining Committee, which is part of the workers demands, was inaugurated by the Minister last Thursday, according to the statement.

The statement stressed that it was agreed that JOHESU should write to President Goodluck Jonathan on its feeling on the Proposed Appointment of Surgeon General, adding that government had constituted all Boards of Management of various tertiary health institutions in the country.

"The last item on the MoU under reference stated inter alia: "In view of the above understandings which were reached in good faith and commitment to industrial harmony, the meeting agreed that the ultimatum issued to government by JOHESU is hereby suspended." "All other equally important issues not in the MoU but raised by JOHESU, namely, increase in the retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years and the demand for the placement of Medical Laboratory Science Interns on CONHESS 8 Step 2 and Laboratory Scientists post-NYSC on CONHESS 9 are already being treated through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation," the statement said.