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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Health sector unions in Kaduna State have commended Governor Uba Sani for what they described as historic and people-centred reforms that have repositioned the state’s healthcare delivery system.
At a joint press conference on Tuesday, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) Kaduna and Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital chapters, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Medical and Health Workers Union, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, and Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) praised the governor for approving 100 per cent implementation of the revised 2024 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
They noted that the approval, amounting to over ₦518 million monthly and ₦6.2 billion annually in additional wage bill, ended more than a decade of stagnation in health workers’ remuneration and restored dignity to medical practice in the state.
The unions also hailed the governor for directing local councils to commence payment of 60 per cent CONHESS to primary healthcare staff, describing it as a step towards fairness and equity across all tiers of care.
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Other reforms lauded include the automatic employment of 2025 graduating medical students of Kaduna State University (KASU) as house officers at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, and the reintroduction of a bond system compelling state-sponsored medical students and resident doctors to serve for at least three years after graduation or residency.
They further applauded massive infrastructural strides such as the completion of a 300-bed specialist hospital, renovation of 15 general hospitals, revitalisation of over 200 primary healthcare centres, construction of three oxygen plants and special baby-care units, upgrade of the medical warehouse in Kakuri, procurement of modern medical equipment and seven advanced life-support ambulances, as well as yearly recruitment of 1,800 health workers for the next three years.
“These reforms reflect passion and consistency. They have restored confidence, strengthened retention, and positioned Kaduna as a model for others to emulate,” the unions declared.
Leaders of the NMA, NANNM, JOHESU, MHWUN, and AMLSN, the health workers said Governor Sani had “rewritten history and placed healthcare at the core of inclusive development and human prosperity.”
