By Audu Abba Kurama, Maiduguri.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved a pay rise for medical doctors in the state civil service to match the one earned by those working with the federal government.
Governor Zulum announced the approval on Wednesday while delivering his address at the 65th National Council on Health Meeting which was held at Muhammadu Indimi Hall, University of Maiduguri.
The Health Council Meeting hosted for the second time by Borno State was themed, “Aceleating Pathway to Universal Health Coverage Strategies for 2030.”
Zulum directed the state head of service and the commissioner of health to liaise with the relevant federal government agency to bridge gaps in payment between medical doctors working for the state and those with the federal government.
The governor ordered that the pay rise be implemented from the 1st of December 2024.
“Link up with the relevant federal government agency and ensure there is no disparity between salaries of the federal government workers and those working with the state government,” Zulum said.
He added, “As of December 1, medical doctors working with Borno State government will receive the same salary as those working with the federal government.”
The governor also stated that Borno has since complied with the Abuja Declaration, which requires every state of the federation to allocate at least 15% of its annual budget to health care.
“I am proud to share that Borno State has taken significant steps towards meeting the Abuja Declaration. In our recent budget, we have prioritised health infrastructure, increased access to maternal and child health services, and allocated resources for critical disease control programmes,” the governor reiterated.
Governor Zulum also recalled that the state government has paid for the residency allowance amounting to over N300m for doctors working with the state hospitals and over N100m to support the indigenes of Borno working with other health facilities across the country.
In their separate remarks, the minister of health, Professor Mohammed Ali Pate and his counterpart, the state minister, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, stressed the need for collaborative efforts to achieve universal health coverage by 2023.
Professor Pate also noted that President Tinubu is committed to upgrading the health infrastructure.
“The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is focused on revitalising the health sector to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030 through prioritising training and retraining, infrastructural upgrade and maternal health coverage,” Prof Pate said.
The Shehu of Dikwa, Ibrahim Ibn Umar El-Kanemi, who was repressing the Shehu of Borno, led other Emirs, chiefs, and traditional title holders to attend the occasion.
Others in attendance include heads of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Health, the 36 commissioners of health across the country, UN health agencies and development partners.
Also in attendance were senior government officials, including the Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr Salim Ibrahim Anas, Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Uzu Rochas-Anwikah, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Daju Kachollom, among other delegates.