Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has declared the state government’s commitment to ensuring prompt payment of entitlements of health workers in the state.
This, according to the governor, will go a long way in saving the lives of the citizens.
Governor Mohammed stated the government’s commitment when the national officials of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) paid him a courtesy visit.
He said his administration was ready for the payment of entitlements of the doctors as part of its desire to bring to an end to the current challenges facing the healthcare system in the state.
According to him, apart from tackling challenges of healthcare, the step will also assist in restoring the lost glory of the sector thereby ensuring effective delivery.
The governor also declared interest in working with critical stakeholders to improve the state health sector and reduce infrastructural gaps not only in the state but also in the country.
He applauded the outstanding performance of health workers in the ongoing fight against COVID-19 pandemic, which he said contributed to the successes recorded so far.
Governor Mohammed, however, pleaded with resident doctors sponsored by the state government to come back to their states to contribute to the development of the health sector to ensure effective service delivery.
“We know why doctors are not working as expected: It is because of the inability of the government to meet their minimum requirements and entitlements. And I am ready to meet that entitlement because it is statutory.
“So I request you to continue to make sacrifices. In Bauchi, we suffered a lot due to shortage of qualified doctors and I want to assure you that we will do something on your request for health insurance and other opportunities,” Governor Mohammed assured the team of visiting doctors.
Speaking earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Aliyu Maigoro, who led the NARD executives on the courtesy visit, said the officials would, among others, conduct medical and other health-related activities as part of their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Bauchi, the state capital.
He informed that Bauchi was picked as the venue of the resident doctors’ AGM based on the state’s achievements in the health sector.
On his part, the NARD National President, Dr. Aliyu Sokombo, acknowledged what he described as the outstanding performance of the state government in healthcare delivery.
Sokombo said based on their findings, Bauchi is among the few states that have implemented the 15 percent budget allocation for the health sector.
He added that Bauchi State has also declared free maternal and child health as well as other policies introduced to fight Lassa fever and COVID-19 pandemic.
“Your Excellency, we are here in Bauchi for obvious reasons; outstanding performance of the state in terms of healthcare delivery. We deemed it necessary to visit you to appreciate your leadership style.
Dr Sokombo then appealed to the state government to sustain all the policies initiated in the sector to ensure sustainable development.
