Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has directed the immediate harmonisation of the 2023 and 2025 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for medical personnel at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba (ABSUTH).
Otti gave the directive on Thursday while receiving a progress report from the ABSUTH Board and Management, led by the Chairman, Dr Ezinne Kalu, during a meeting at the Government House.
The governor said improving the welfare and working conditions of healthcare workers remained a priority of his administration, stressing that investments in the health sector were aimed at enhancing service delivery rather than generating profit.
“The huge investment my 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 my desire to provide affordable and quality healthcare to Abians, not to make profit,” Otti said.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transforming ABSUTH into a world-class tertiary health institution, noting that efforts had already been made to restore accreditations that had lapsed before his administration assumed office.
Otti also revealed that some hospital facilities previously concessioned to private operators by the past administration had been recovered and returned to the management of the teaching hospital.
“The facilities have now been returned to the management of the Teaching Hospital,” he stated.
Addressing issues raised in the board’s report, particularly on manpower, staff welfare and electricity supply, the governor expressed surprise that the 2023 Federal Government-approved CONMESS structure had not been fully implemented before the 2025 review.
According to him, full implementation of the 2023 salary structure would have placed Abia health workers on a more favourable salary scale than their counterparts in the federal service before the latest review.
“When the request came, my understanding was that it would be better than the Federal Government’s structure. Before approving it, I asked for the total cost of employment to ensure it aligned with the state budget. After reviewing it, I found that we could accommodate it and I approved it,” Otti said.
He added, “Going back to what you have is strange; let us make this job easier for ourselves.”
The governor subsequently 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 harmonising the 2023 and 2025 CONMESS structures and submit recommendations for implementation.
Earlier, the Chairman of the ABSUTH Board, Dr Ezinne Kalu, presented a report titled “Stabilising Today: Building the Teaching Hospital Abia Deserves,” outlining findings and recommendations from the board’s fact-finding exercise.
Also speaking, the Chief Medical Director of ABSUTH, Prof Nneka Okoronkwo, commended the governor for interventions that had helped address challenges at the institution.
She noted that approvals granted by the governor included payment of salary arrears owed to interns, settlement of outstanding salaries for three workers, payment of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria shortfall arising from salary centralisation, and approval of promotions for eligible staff.
