UMUAHIA — Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has directed the immediate harmonisation of the 2023 and 2025 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for implementation at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba.
Otti gave the directive on Thursday when he received a progress report from the Board and Management of ABSUTH, led by its Chairman, Dr Ezinne Kalu, during a working visit to the Governor’s Office.
The governor said the welfare and working conditions of healthcare professionals remained critical to his administration’s efforts to transform the state’s health sector.
He explained that the government’s substantial investment in healthcare was primarily aimed at providing affordable and quality medical services to residents, 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.
The governor reaffirmed his commitment to repositioning ABSUTH as a world-class tertiary healthcare institution, noting that the first phase of the administration’s intervention focused on restoring professional and institutional accreditations that had been lost for more than two years before he assumed office.
Otti further disclosed that some facilities belonging to ABSUTH which had previously been concessioned to private entities by the previous administration had been recovered following negotiations and settlements.
“The facilities have now been returned to the management of the Teaching Hospital,” he stated.
Governor Questions Non-Implementation of 2023 CONMESS
Responding to concerns raised by the ABSUTH Board over manpower, staff welfare and power supply, Otti expressed surprise that the 2023 Federal Government CONMESS structure, which he had previously approved for implementation, was not fully implemented before the 2025 review.
According to him, full implementation of the 2023 structure would have placed Abia healthcare workers on a more competitive salary scale than their counterparts in the Federal Government service before the subsequent 2025 review.
Otti recalled that he had personally examined the financial implications of the salary structure before granting approval.
“When the request came, my understanding is that it was going to be better than the Federal. Before I approved it, I asked a question about total cost of employment so that I could cross-check with my budget. So, when I looked at it, I found that we could accommodate it, and I approved it,” he said.
He added: “Going back to what you have is strange; let us make this job easier for ourselves.”
The governor consequently directed the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu, and the Chief Medical Director of ABSUTH, Prof Nneka Okoronkwo, to work jointly on the harmonisation of the 2023 and 2025 CONMESS structures and submit their recommendations for appropriate government action.
ABSUTH Board Presents Progress Report
Earlier, the ABSUTH Board Chairman, Dr Ezinne Kalu, presented a report titled, “Stabilising Today: Building the Teaching Hospital Abia Deserves.”
Kalu thanked the governor for entrusting the board with the responsibility of repositioning the institution and presented findings and recommendations arising from its fact-finding exercise.
The Chief Medical Director, Prof Nneka Okoronkwo, also commended the governor for interventions undertaken to improve staff welfare and the hospital’s operations.
She disclosed that the administration had approved the payment of salaries owed to interns, settlement of two years’ salary arrears owed to three ABSUTH workers, payment of the MDCAN shortfall arising from the centralisation of salary payments, as well as approval for staff who were due for promotion.
The latest directive is expected to further address remuneration concerns among medical personnel while strengthening the government’s broader efforts to reposition ABSUTH as a functional and competitive tertiary healthcare institution.
Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The National Concord Blog Newsletter for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don't miss a headline – join now below!
