Delta State govt clarifies revenue issues in DELSUTH

THE Delta State government, at the weekend, clarified some issues of internally generated revenue pertaining to affairs at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state.

According to a statement by the state commissioner for information, Mr Patrick Ukah, the monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of DELSUTH has increased tremendously to a level that government believes they can be self-sufficient, thereby, necessitating the stoppage of monthly subvention to the institution.

Mr Ukah revealed that the contracts of Diaspora doctors would expire in October this year and that the government planned to reduce the contract sum downwards remarkably, adding that contract renewal would be based on performance, skills and capacity in the areas where the hospital would need them,  especially in areas where other doctors cannot perform, and those who agree on the new terms.

The statement further said that the state government had given the institution a 33 KVA transformer that could guarantee power supply for at least 23 hours daily.

According to the commissioner, a full scale stakeholders meeting is to be convened by the state government to sort out the problem of incessant strike actions in the hospital with a view to fashioning out a way to resolve outstanding issues.

Mr Ukah disclosed that the government had already approved some major areas of conflict in the past such as entry point that would now be 5.7 instead of 5.4, adding that doctors were already enjoying the new salary structure approved in January this year.

The statement said that the government, through the Ministry of Finance, was to pay roll the staff of DELSUTH to monthly payment to avoid arrears which was part of the problem in the past as they are now full time employees of the university since salaries of staff of the hospital had been harmonised with that of the university.

According to the statement, with the upcoming stakeholders meeting, work will resume soon as all major outstanding matters will be settled.