Abia State Government has charged the 811 newly recruited healthcare workers in the state civil service to uphold professionalism, integrity and compassion as they prepare to serve in public hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the state.
The Chairman of the Abia State Civil Service Commission, Pst. Eno Jerry-Eze, gave the charge, on Wednesday, during an orientation programme organised for the new health workers, comprising doctors, nurses, medical laboratory scientists, pharmacists, dentists, dental therapists and technologists.
Speaking at the JAAC Secretariat, venue of the programme, Pst. Jerry-Eze who congratulated the new recruits, noted that they were not merely civil servants but “frontline defenders of life”, adding that their recruitment reflects the Otti led administration’s commitment to strengthening the state’s healthcare system.
She stressed that the recruitment exercise was conducted through a competency-based process using modern human resource tools where qualified candidates were selected irrespective of their states of origin and disclosed that healthcare professionals from Enugu, Anambra, Gombe, Rivers, Ebonyi and Ogun states were among those recruited.
The Civil Service Commission Chairman urged the newly recruited health workers to see their appointment as a call to service and reminded them that they had become custodians of public trust under the Abia State public service.
She outlined integrity, professionalism, respect and compassion, patriotism and responsible stewardship of public resources as key values expected from the new employees.
Pst Jerry- Eze warned against absenteeism, extortion, negligence and unethical practices, stressing that there would be zero tolerance for any form of misconduct.
“Handle patients, drugs and public funds with honesty. There is zero tolerance for absenteeism, extortion or negligence.
“Do not sell hospital consumables. Do not demand money before service and please utilise the whistleblower policy if you observe any misconduct”, the Chairman said.
Pst Jerry- Eze also encouraged the workers to take advantage of career advancement opportunities within the civil service, noting that there was a structured career path from Grade Level 8 to Grade Level 17, with opportunities for study leave, sabbatical and specialist cadres.
She revealed that the state had created a talent database containing candidates who passed the computer-based test and interviews but could not be immediately employed due to limited vacancies, assuring that government would refer to the database to recruit vacancies arise.
Delivering a lecture titled “Structure and Roles of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the Civil Service in Abia State”, the Head of Service, Mr Benson Ojiekere, described the civil service as the engine room of government and urged the newly recruited workers to see themselves as critical drivers of development.
Mr Ojiekere, further urged the workers to contribute to ongoing efforts by the present administration to transform the state civil service into one driven by efficiency, speed, professionalism and improved service delivery.
The State Head of Service who explained that MDAs were created by law to deliver specific mandates and support government in achieving its development objectives, argued that Nigeria’s development challenges were closely linked to the effectiveness of its civil service.
“I discovered that the reason why Nigeria is not working is because we have a civil service that is not working.
“The civil service is the engine room of government. If the civil service works, the nation will work. If the civil service works, the state will work”, Mr Ojiekere added.
He said the state government was pursuing a five-year vision aimed at making Abia’s civil service the most improved in Nigeria, particularly in areas of efficiency, workers’ welfare and charged the new employees to bring fresh energy, passion and commitment into the civil service.
Other resource persons including the Permanent Secretary of the Civil Service Commission, Mrs Ekaette Oham, lectured participants on the Civil Service Rules and Code of Conduct; while the Commissioner I of the Civil Service Commission, Pastor Ifeoma Agu, took participants through the Scheme of Service and Career Structure.
In her goodwill message, the Director-General of the Abia State Orientation Agency, Ms Ure Abazie, urged the health workers to treat every patient with dignity, empathy and a sense of personal responsibility.
She also appealed to the health workers to resist the growing “Japa” syndrome, where healthcare professionals leave Nigeria shortly after securing employment and urged them to contribute to strengthening the state’s healthcare system.
The orientation programme also featured a series of lectures designed to acquaint the newly recruited healthcare workers with the structure, operations and ethical expectations of the Abia State Public Service, civil service rules, code of conduct, scheme of service, career progression, SERVICOM standards and ongoing reforms aimed at improving public service delivery.
The event which also featured interactive session, was attended by the Secretary to the State Government, represented by the Head of the Public Bureau, Office of the SSG, Mr Onyema Uchemadu, as well as commissioners of the Civil Service Commission and other top government service officials.
