Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, said in a bid to adequately provide healthcare services to the people of the state, he recently gave approval for the employment of 30 additional doctors, 15 pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians, 70 nurses, as well as 50 medical laboratory technicians.
Engineer Sule disclosed this when he hosted the National President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) at the Government House, on Thursday.The Governor added that he equally gave approval for the employment of 35 health and information management officers, 40 health assistants and 6 radiographers.
While noting that more needs to be done in terms of providing adequate staffing to efficiently man the various health facilities in the state, Engineer Sule said this latest gesture by the state government was but only a starting point.
Commenting on the issue of promotion for the civil servants in the state, the Governor stated that his administration will consider the matter as it affects every civil servant, not only doctors, stressing that anybody serving the people of the state, will be assessed and promoted based on the resources available to the state.
On the issues of doctors working in the state being taxed heavily, Engineer Sule assured the NMA officials that he has directed the state accountant general to look into the matter, with a view to reverse any excess tax, especially for medical doctors.
The Governor expressed satisfaction that Nasarawa was rated among top states known for sustained capacity training for its workers, adding that without capacity building, training and retraining, his administration may not achieve what it sets out to achieve.
Also speaking on the COVID-19 pandemic, Engineer Sule while thanking the doctors for their sacrifices during the peak of the pandemic, urged them to continue to take all the necessary precautions as the pandemic is still around.
The Governor further called on them not to relax their earlier position, thinking the coronavirus has been defeated, adding that the NCDC during the recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, advised that henceforth testing should not be restricted to malaria, fever or anything ailment but that the first test to be conducted is that of COVID-19.
Earlier in an opening remarks, National President of the NMA, Professor Innocent Ujah, while commending the administration for the cordial relationship existing between government and medical and dental practitioners in the state, however said this relationship can be strengthened by the visit of the national officials of the NMA.
The NMA national president said they were at the government house to inform the governor about certain issues they consider as barriers to healthcare delivery system.
Prof. Ujah was accompanied on the visit by the national officers committee of the NMA, as well as the newly elected state chairman of the association and his officials.
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