The Sokoto State Head of Service, Dr Buhari Bello Kware, has said that the state is losing a number of health workers, who moved to other institutions due to the desire for better pay.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of an induction course for the newly elected executive members of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in Sokoto Kware said the government had set up a committee to look into the immediate and remote problems in the health sector especially on the salaries and welfare of health and medical workers.
He assured that the disparity issue on salaries of health workers would be redressed.
“Many are concerned about the salaries instead of being patriotic. This is why our current budget has made adequate provision to bridge the disparity in salaries and other emoluments in the health sector in order to discourage the exodus of our indigenes to other medical organs paying higher.
“We spend to train them but we don’t get commensurate results as pay back. It is a sad experience to notice that in a short time, they quit our service to where they get higher pay. But all these will soon be over,” he said.
Kware said Sokoto has an automatic employment policy for students on admission in nurses and midwifery courses, but noted that the state was experiencing mass exodus of professionals in health and medical lines.
In a message to the participants the National President of the association, Adeniji Abdulrafiu, underscored the central position nurses occupy in the healthcare delivery.
He said nurses and midwives must strive to improve the standard of their service delivery in order to gain the confidence of he genral public, especially patients.
The NANNM President, who spoke through the National Auditor of the association , Mr. Haruna Mandabas, also stressed the need for closer working relationship between nurses and doctors to enhance health service delivery.
“We must be working together with doctors professionally to achieve the fundamental goals and objectives of the health and medical workers.’’
He said a committee had been set up by Nigerian Medical Association and NANNM to look into the issues between the two unions and ensure that doctors and nurses work together without any hitch.
He underlined the importance of training and retraining of members to update their knowledge and practice.
Abdulrafiu urged the state government to make the salary of nurses in the state at par with that of the nurses working in federal hospitals as obtained in some states.
This, according to him, will boost productivity of nurses working in the state-owned health institutions.
Chairman NANNM, Sokoto state chapter, Comrade Abubakar Shehu, harped on the need for nurses to always stick to the ethics of their profession.
“It is most unfortunate and shocking to allow ugly circumstances to dwindle and cause distress to our noble profession as experienced in recent past,” he stated, adding “we must learn to treat our patients with courtesy and respect.”
He emphasised the need for nurses to always be disciplined to raise the standard of practice and restore its lost glory.
Shehu also urged nurses in the country to continue to promote unity among themselves and other health workers.
He described the disparity in salary of medical personnel and other health professionals as enormous, noting that it had led to worrying industrial harmony in the health sector.
“We are not agitating equal salary since we have two separate salary tables COMESS and CONHESS. Our expectation is that whenever government reviews salary it should be across board.”
He commended the state government for sponsoring nurses for further studies.
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