The Abia State Governor, His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti, has directed the harmonization of the 2023 and 2025 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), for immediate implementation at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH).
Governor Otti gave the directive recently when he received a progress report from the Board and Management of ABSUTH, led by the Board Chairman, Dr. Ezinne Kalu, during a working visit to the Governor’s Office.
Gov Otti with board and management of ABSUTH
The Governor reiterated that the huge investment his administration is making in the health sector, including the consistent allocation of 15 per cent of the State’s annual budget to healthcare, is driven by the desire to provide affordable and quality healthcare to Abians, not to make profit.
He however emphasized that the welfare and working conditions of healthcare professionals must also be given adequate attention.
Gov Alex Otti
Governor Otti restated his administration’s commitment to repositioning ABSUTH as a world-class tertiary healthcare institution.
The Governor noted that the first phase of the hospital’s upgrade focused on the restoration of accreditations that had been lost for more than two years prior to the emergence of his government.
He also disclosed that some facilities of ABSUTH previously concessioned and handed over to private entities by the previous administration have been recovered following engagements and settlement with those involved, adding that facilities have now been returned to the management of the Teaching Hospital.
Responding to requests contained in the Board’s report, particularly those relating to manpower, staff welfare package, and power supply, Governor Otti expressed surprise that the approval he had earlier given for the implementation of the 2023 Federal Government CONMESS was not fully implemented before the 2025 review.
He explained that the implementation of the 2023 CONMESS would have placed Abia’s health workers on a better salary structure than their counterparts in the Federal service before the structure was reviewed in 2025.
“When the request came, my understanding is that it was going to be better than the Federal.
“Before I approved it, I asked a question about total cost of employment so that I can crosscheck with my budget… So, when I looked at it, I found that we could accommodate it, I approved it. Going back to what you have is strange… let’s make this job easier for ourselves,” the Governor stated.
The Governor therefore directed the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu, and the Chief Medical Director of ABSUTH, Prof. Nneka Okoronkwo, to work together to harmonize the 2023 and 2025 CONMESS structures and return to government with their recommendations for appropriate action.
Perm sec ministry of health, Dr Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu
“The Permanent Secretary will have to sit down with you because if you say there is a 2025 adjustment and what I approved was 2023, which has not been implemented, that also means that you need to now sit down with her and let us know the total cost of that adjustment.
“If you subtract A from B, then you will get the data, so we can look at our numbers to know where it’s going to come from. Once we know we have clarity on where it’s going to come from, then we’ll get it approved. So, the ball comes back to your court,” the Governor instructed.
On manpower, Governor Otti advised the hospital management to adopt a gradual approach, with priority given to core medical and other critical professionals, while exploring opportunities to redeploy or draw other categories of personnel from within the system.
He disclosed that he had approved the recruitment of 861 health workers for other levels of healthcare, excluding ABSUTH, noting that 670 have been recruited in the last six months, and that the recruitment is still ongoing.
The Governor emphasized the need for a competitive welfare package, warning that without it, the State would lose personnel to jurisdictions with better welfare.
On the request for sustainable and stable power supply for ABSUTH, Governor Otti said the availability of Geometric Power should make the challenge manageable, given the critical nature of services provided by the hospital.
He directed the Commissioner for Power to engage with the management of ABSUTH and work out a sustainable electricity supply arrangement for the institution.
While acknowledging the challenges sometimes associated with gas supply to Geometric Power, the Governor disclosed that within the week, he had received a letter from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company indicating its willingness to work with Geometric Power to provide an alternative gas supply solution, following his personal engagement with relevant stakeholders.
On the Tesla MRI machine donated to ABSUTH by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, valued at over One Million Dollars, the Governor disclosed that concerted efforts are underway to provide a befitting facility for the installation and operation of the equipment.
“We are working round the clock to get accommodation for it. You may also have seen that a lot of other works are going on in the Teaching Hospital and we will not stop,” the Governor said.
Governor Otti commended the Board for presenting a detailed, data-driven report highlighting progress made so far, areas requiring further attention, and the financial implications of the recommendations. He stressed that such information would help government make informed decisions.
He assured the Board and Management of ABSUTH that his administration would continue to support the ongoing transformation of the institution to ensure that Abians have access to quality, affordable, and world-class tertiary healthcare services within the State. He thanked them for their labour of love for the State.
Earlier, the Board Chairman, Dr. Ezinne Kalu, while presenting the report titled “Stabilizing Today: Building the Teaching Hospital Abia Deserves” said the report was three-pronged: Appreciation, Evidence, and Decision.
Dr Kalu
Dr Kalu thanked the Governor for the opportunity to serve, presented the result of their fact-finding, and outlined decisions based on their findings.
She stated that the Government has rebuilt public confidence in ABSUTH, and that the institution has moved from “institutional rescue” to the next challenge of “operational consolidation.”
The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Nneke Okoronkwo, thanked the Governor for intervening to resolve the crisis involving House Officers, Residents, and other interns employed by the Hospital in April.
Prof Okonkwo
She listed further approvals by the Governor to include: payment of salaries for the interns, payment of 3 ABSUTH staff owed for 2 years, approval for payment of MDCAN shortfall following centralization of payment, and approval for staff who were due for promotion.
2026.
