Medical workers at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, may be in line for improved pay and better working conditions following a directive by Governor Alex Otti to harmonise the 2023 and 2025 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS.
The directive is expected to address concerns surrounding the implementation of medical workers’ salaries at the teaching hospital and form part of efforts to improve staff welfare and healthcare delivery in the state.
Otti gave the directive on Thursday while receiving a progress report from the Board and Management of ABSUTH, led by its Chairman, Dr Ezinne Kalu, during a working visit to the Governor’s Office.
The governor said the welfare and working conditions of healthcare professionals deserved adequate attention, stressing that investment in the health sector was ultimately aimed at making quality healthcare more accessible to residents.
According to him, his administration’s healthcare spending, including the consistent allocation of 15 per cent of the state’s annual budget to the sector, is driven by the need to provide affordable and quality healthcare to Abians.
What the salary decision means for workers
The issue goes beyond a salary adjustment.
For doctors and other medical professionals working at ABSUTH, improved and properly harmonised remuneration could provide greater financial stability while helping the institution retain skilled healthcare workers.
Otti expressed concern that the 2023 CONMESS structure he had previously approved was not fully implemented before the Federal Government reviewed the structure in 2025.
He said the earlier implementation would have placed Abia health workers on a better salary scale than their counterparts in Federal Government service before the subsequent review.
The governor therefore directed the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu, and the Chief Medical Director of ABSUTH, Prof Nneka Okoronkwo, to work together on the harmonisation and submit their recommendations for further action.
Other workers’ concerns addressed
The salary harmonisation is not the only staff welfare issue being addressed at the teaching hospital.
The ABSUTH management disclosed that the governor had also approved the payment of salaries owed to interns, while salary arrears owed to three workers for two years were also approved for settlement.
The governor also approved payment of the MDCAN shortfall that arose following the centralisation of salary payments, as well as the progression of workers who were due for promotion.
For affected workers, these decisions could mean relief from outstanding financial obligations and greater certainty around their employment benefits.
Beyond workers: what it could mean for patients
At the centre of the development is also the patient.
ABSUTH serves residents who depend on the institution for specialist and tertiary healthcare. Improving staff welfare and addressing institutional challenges could help create a more stable environment for healthcare professionals to attend to patients.
Otti said his administration was working to reposition ABSUTH as a world-class tertiary healthcare institution.
The first phase of the upgrade, according to the governor, involved restoring accreditations that had been lost for more than two years before his administration assumed office.
Some facilities previously concessioned to private entities by the previous administration have also been returned to ABSUTH management following engagements and settlements.
The governor said the facilities had now been returned to the management of the teaching hospital.
The bigger picture
For medical workers, the immediate concern is better implementation of their pay and welfare.
For patients, the expectation is that a better-supported workforce and improved hospital infrastructure will translate into more effective healthcare services.
The latest directive therefore places the spotlight not only on government spending, but on the people behind the health system — the doctors, nurses, interns and other healthcare workers whose conditions of service can influence the quality of care available to patients.
As the Ministry of Health and ABSUTH management work on the harmonisation of the 2023 and 2025 CONMESS structures, affected workers and residents will be watching to see how quickly the recommendations translate into actual improvements in pay, welfare and healthcare delivery.
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I do like the way you have presented this concern plus it does supply us a lot of fodder for consideration. On the other hand, because of just what I have witnessed, I simply just trust when the actual feedback pack on that people continue to be on issue and not start upon a soap box associated with some other news du jour. Still, thank you for this fantastic piece and although I do not really go along with the idea in totality, I value your viewpoint.