Motivation as a Veritable Tool for Effective Leadership in the Nigerian Health Sector

Abstract

Leadership is seen as the process of influencing a group of individuals to strive willingly with utmost dedication and commitment towards achieving organizational goals. The importance of effective leadership who is vest in the knowledge of appropriate use of motivational techniques looms large indeed especially in the Nigerian health sector. This study is therefore an attempt to examine the place of motivation in enhancing effective leadership in the Nigerian health sector. This study becomes necessary because of the worrisome situation of the Nigerian health institutions despite huge government financial outlay on yearly basis. The study adopted content analytical method to review the works of concerned scholars on the subject matter. In addition, interviews were granted to the researchers by some health personnel from both the core medical lines and other professional bodies. The study revealed that the current ugly situation in the Nigerian health system is partly a consequence of poor leadership as well as inappropriate application of motivational schemes by health managers. This has resulted in conflict and struggle for supremacy in the health sector. On the basis of the foregoing, the study made a case for the introduction of human resources management into the curriculum of the medical schools; there should also be a forum for different labour unions in the heath sector to sincerely brainstorm on some lingering issues affecting them with a view to presenting formidable fronts towards addressing them. The implication of the foregoing is that it will reduce to the barest minimum the protracted conflicts and other vices which want to bring our health sector on its knees.

Keywords – Motivation, leadership, health sector, effective leadership.