By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central,but in Minna)
Niger state government said it has taken a number of decisive measures aimed at not only repositioning the Health sector but holding errant staff accountable in order to safeguard the lives of patients, including pregnant mothers and their babies.
Already, a number of health workers cutting across different cadres, including a Consultant have been; sacked, demoted, transferred and/or suspended without pay in all the 23 General Hospitals across the state for breach of professional trust.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mohammad Maku-Sidi disclosed this while briefing journalists on the speculated crisis in the entire state health sector, leading to a number of workers either being sacked, demoted, working without pay or other form of sanctions.
A mother and her unborn child died recently due to negligence and poor management of the case. This, according to the commissioner, led to the sacking of all the workers on duty directly involved in managing her case after they were investigated and found culpable.
Makun-sidi said the state government decided to bring sanity to the entire sector by overhauling the entire system and conducting screening of all staff in other to weed-off bad eggs including unqualified and un-competent workers.
As part of measures to meet global standards, Maku-sidi told journalists at the last press briefing for the year which took place at Government House, Minna yesterday that after the screening, some workers who were remunerated on the bases of, GL 4 are now in GL 14 while some for undisclosed reasons at GL but collecting salary of senior officers have been accordingly placed.
Among those sanctioned is a worker who have been absent from duty post for 3 years but still collect salary; a lab attendant with variant or disparity in results and others with questionable Certificates and qualifications which they could not defend judging from their performances.
On the exact number of staff sacked, sanctioned and/or replaced with new appointments, the Commissioner said, “It is not possible to immediately provide the exact number of those affected but we sanctioned defaulting staff almost on a daily basis”.
According to the Commissioner, “We have different categories of sanctions which falls under major and minor category and these involves being sacked, placed on suspension, demotion and transfer to another health facility with or without salaries”.
Certain categories of Nurses and/or Midwives are not qualified or entitled for Call-Duty allowances, Dr. Maku-sidi said as he painted a vivid picture of how in one of the Genenal Hospitals due to negligence on the part of staff on duty, the state lost a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
The speculated crisis in the health sector economy of the state, Maku-sidi explained, is due to the general overhauling, adding that while the general screening was going on, payments of salaries was partly shifted to a different ministry until the exercise was completed.
Dr. Maku-sidi who however encouraged workers with salary issues to meet their relevant sub-heads, said it was wrong for any body to give religious and/or political coloration to the screening exercise, which, according to him, is aimed at bringing about the best in the sector.
Before the coming of the Governor Sani Bello led administration, the Commissioner who was then the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, said the ministry had only 4 Consultants but as at today, have 32 Consultants specializing in different areas/ailments.
As part of measures to ensure that workers in the health sector perform optimally and in accordance to global best practices, the Commissioner said patients are being constantly encouraged to report any form of unsatisfactory or ill treatment by any staff on duty. NNL
