Bauchi govt harmonises salary, allowance of medical doctors

The Bauchi State Government has approved the harmonisation of salaries and allowances of medical doctors working in the state civil service with that of the Federal Government service scheme to discourage the migration of health workers to federal health institutions in search of better pay and conditions of service.

The disclosure was made by the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, during the bi-annual media engagement with health reporters in Bauchi.

According to him, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed expressed worry about the way medical doctors are leaving the service of the state due to poor conditions of service.

Mohammed said, “The Governor directed that we should harmonise with the Federal Government’s condition of service for medical doctors, and we have done that since.”

He expressed confidence that very soon, all those who left will come back because Bauchi is their home, and they will enjoy working here.

Mohammed also disclosed that over N872 million has been paid as counterpart funding to support the various health programmes to enhance effective and efficient service delivery in the sector.

The EC stressed that the measures are aimed at strengthening primary healthcare services and retaining skilled medical professionals in the state.

According to him, the Governor also released over ₦100 million as a matching grant for the Children’s Nutrition Fund (CNF) in order to effectively tackle malnutrition among children under five years.

In addition, the state government has fully met its financial commitments under the health sector Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Aliko Dangote Foundation, as discussions are already underway to extend the agreement for another four years.

Mohammed further highlighted major achievements in immunization coverage, including a reduction in zero-dose children across 13 local government areas, and the successful implementation of key interventions such as the National Immunization Plus Days, measles and rubella vaccination campaigns, maternal and child health services, birth registration, family planning distribution, and the administration of Azithromycin under the SARMAAN II project.

He added that the state government has embarked on the solarisation of all health facilities across the state to solve the problem of electricity supply, which is key to effective service delivery.

Mohammed also commended the First Lady of the State, Hajiya Aishatu Bala Mohammed, for supporting the initiative of healthcare development through the various interventions from her office.

He assured that the board will continue to prioritise effective and efficient service delivery in the healthcare sector of the state to reduce the maternal mortality rate and infant mortality.

The bi-annual media engagement was attended by health reporters in the state to strengthen collaboration between the board and working Journalists, aimed at enhancing public awareness on primary healthcare services across the state.

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