Healthcare workers have been urged to embrace dialogue and collaboration to reduce workplace rivalry and improve welfare. The call was made on Wednesday in Ibadan during the third-quarter forum of the National Administrative Council and National Executive Council of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP).
Guest speaker Dr. Olufemi Olowookere, Consultant Geriatrician at the University College Hospital (UCH), said equitable compensation, clear role definitions and effective leadership were necessary to ease conflicts in the sector. “Mutual respect among all healthcare workers is the foundation for progress,” he said, while urging government and institutions to support collaboration with policies and conflict resolution frameworks.
NUAHP President, Mr. Kamal Ibrahim, reaffirmed the union’s commitment to peaceful dialogue with employers in pursuit of improved working conditions.
“Our role is to ensure better conditions of service for members, and we are pleased that UCH has consistently set the pace for others nationwide,” he said.
At the event, UCH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Abiodun Otegbayo, received the Labour-Friendly CMD Award from NUAHP. He described the recognition as proof that dialogue yields better results than conflict.
“A happy workforce is a productive workforce. This award is for the entire UCH workforce — nurses, pharmacists, technologists, scientists, administrative staff and doctors, whose resilience forms the backbone of our success,” Otegbayo said.
In her remarks, Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Akintunde Ayinde, assured health workers of government’s commitment to welfare. She noted that regular salary payments, recruitment and career progression remained priorities to address staffing gaps.
“We must return to the spirit of collaboration and unity, because when professionals worked more closely together in the past, service quality was higher,” she said.
The forum concluded with a clear message: peace, fairness and dialogue are indispensable for building a strong and motivated healthcare workforce in Nigeria.
