Health workers decry shortage of manpower in Kogi, demand recruitment

The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, in Kogi State has asked Governor Usman Ododo to recruit health workers into the various hospital and primary healthcare centres in the state, decrying the acute shortage of manpower in the health sector.

The union’s Chairman, Gabriel Amari made the call at its Eight Quadrennial State Delegates Conference, noting the shortage of manpower across the 21 Local Governments of the state.

Amari itemized some of the demands of the medical workers to the Government of Kogi State saying “The Kogi State Government should harmonize the health workers salaries as there are lots of disparity in the salaries of the state health workers.

“The Government should set up an implementation committee of the Seventy thousand naira (N70,000) national minimum wage without further delay. In addition, the Kogi State Government should organize training and workshops for our health workers to update their knowledge with the current global practices. Also, there is a need for the domestication of the approved 5 years extension of health workers’ years of service as being endorsed by the council of establishment”.

Amari, who also lamented on the present challenges medical workers are facing in the Country said “This delegate conference comes at a time of great national adversity and precarity. The state of our national economy and how it affects the health sector is of immense apprehension to many of us stakeholders in the industry.

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” The high cost of living, insecurity, acute shortage of manpower in our hospitals and primary health care centres informed the choice of the theme which is “towards strengthening trade unions for development”.

“Our country Nigeria of today is faced with numerous challenges ranging from incidence of kidnapping, banditry, hunger, high cost of fuel which has led to general high cost of living. Hardly any day gone without one negative news or the other”.

In solidarity with his colleagues, the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Chairman in Kogi State, Ahmed Tijani maintained that the association will continue to engage in dialogue to press home the demands of workers in the state.