Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has directed the harmonisation of the 2023 and 2025 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for immediate implementation at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba.

Otti gave the directive on Thursday when he received a progress report from the Board and Management of ABSUTH, led by the Board Chairman, Dr Ezinne Kalu, during a working visit to the Governor’s Office.

The governor stressed the importance of prioritising the welfare and working conditions of healthcare professionals, saying his administration’s investments in the health sector were aimed at improving healthcare delivery across the state.

“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.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to transforming ABSUTH into a world-class tertiary healthcare institution.

According to him, the first phase of the upgrade focused on restoring accreditations that had been lost for more than two years before his administration assumed office.

Otti also disclosed that some ABSUTH facilities previously concessioned to private entities by the previous administration had been recovered following engagements and settlements.

“The facilities have now been returned to the management of the Teaching Hospital,” he said.

Governor orders salary harmonisation

Responding to requests contained in the board’s report, particularly those relating to manpower, staff welfare and power supply, Otti expressed concern that the 2023 Federal Government CONMESS structure he had previously approved was not fully implemented before the salary structure was reviewed in 2025.

He said implementing the 2023 structure would have placed Abia healthcare workers on a more favourable salary scale than their federal counterparts before the subsequent review.

“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,” the governor said.

He added, “Going back to what you have is strange; let us make this job easier for ourselves.”

Otti subsequently directed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu, and the Chief Medical Director of ABSUTH, Prof Nneka Okoronkwo, to work together to harmonise the 2023 and 2025 CONMESS structures and submit their recommendations for appropriate action.

Other welfare measures

Earlier, the Board Chairman, Dr Ezinne Kalu, presented a report titled “Stabilising Today: Building the Teaching Hospital Abia Deserves.”

She thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and presented the board’s findings and recommendations following its fact-finding exercise.

The Chief Medical Director, Prof Nneka Okoronkwo, also thanked Otti for his interventions in addressing challenges confronting the institution.

She disclosed that the governor had approved the payment of salaries owed to interns, the settlement of salary arrears owed to three ABSUTH workers for two years, payment of the MDCAN shortfall following the centralisation of salary payments and approval for staff who were due for promotion.

The measures are part of the administration’s broader efforts to improve staff welfare, restore the institution’s capacity and strengthen healthcare services at ABSUTH.