The Bauchi state government has discovered over 100 ghost workers in the health sector, vowing to punish them according to civil service rules. This revelation was made by Sambo Alkali, the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Hospital Management Board, during a press conference in Bauchi. The identified ghost workers’ names will be submitted to Governor Bala Mohammed for further action.
The state government has been conducting a verification exercise to root out ghost workers, a problem that has been plaguing the health sector. Recently, the exercise was carried out in five facilities, resulting in the identification of over 100 ghost health workers. To address the shortage of doctors, a global issue, the governor has approved a scheme that has yielded positive results. The scheme has engaged over 40 doctors, ranging from consultants to medical officers, who were carefully selected and distributed based on available data.
The state government has also mandated the state committee on health to develop a healthcare scheme of service that will address salary issues and attract medical professionals to work in Bauchi. The plan is to equalize the state health workers’ salaries with those of the Federal Government. This effort is nearing completion and will be submitted to the governor for implementation.
In a related development, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Muhammed Dambam, announced that the governor has reaffirmed his commitment to collaborating with relevant agencies to establish Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) in the state. The goal of RUTF is to reduce malnutrition among children. The government has also pledged to improve the recapitalization of the drugs and medical consumables agency in the state, with an allocation of N250 million this year.
These moves demonstrate the state government’s efforts to strengthen the health sector and improve service delivery. By tackling ghost workers and addressing the shortage of doctors, the government aims to provide better healthcare services to its citizens. The establishment of RUTF and the recapitalization of the drugs agency are also crucial steps in reducing malnutrition and improving healthcare outcomes in the state.