NSITF decries non-implementation of occupational accident pact

By Collins Olayinka, Abuja

 A pact between the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN) would have reduced accidents in hospitals if implemented. 

  
The Acting Managing Director of the Fund, Dr. Kelly Nwagha, who disclosed this when he received a delegation of the Association Of Hospital And Administrative Pharmacists Of Nigeria (AHAPN) in Abuja, called for collaboration between the NSITF and hospital pharmacists in the implementation of Employees Compensation Scheme (ECS). 
   
Nwagha lamented the non-implementation of the communiqué reached between the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria and the NSITF, which would have helped more pharmacists in their workplaces and ensured greater productivity

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He said: “The Pharmacist Council Of Nigeria, in which Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria has substantial representation, is expected from that communiqué to enrol pharmacy practitioners en masse into the ECS, which compensates employees for work-related injuries, diseases and deaths”.
  
He highlighted that such practitioners include community pharmacists, patent and proprietary medicine dealers and employees of pharmaceutical firms.
 
Dr. Nwagha, who is also a pharmacist, added: “It is really unfortunate that up till this moment that communiqué is yet to be activated,”
 
He urged members of the delegation to use their positions to reactivate the communiqué for the benefit of employers and the employees in the pharmaceutical sector.
  
While noting that preventative, rehabilitative and compensatory services were an integral part of the Fund’s mandate, Dr. Nwagha disclosed that the NSITF had paid over N4billion in compensation to subscribers of the ECS since the Fund was given legal backing in 2010, out of which about N1billion was paid in 2020 alone. Providing insights into the NSITF mandate, he explained: “Employment injury scheme is centred basically on one key area; prevention of accidents/injuries in the workplace, which I term preventative service that we provide. 
 
“Good healthy living and stress management which directly improves productivity is a component of what we do under health, safety and environment, which I am heading.
  
“When we carry out preventative measures and there is a failure, we do what we call rehabilitative service, like treating the injured employee to get back to normal working condition. NSITF provides this service.