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… Demand Autonomy for Primary Health Care Board
Medical workers in Bayelsa State under the aegis of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, have applauded the state governor, Douye Diri, for approving the implementation of promotions due them as well as the #30,000 minimum wage.
The state chairman of MHWUN, Comrade Barnabas Simon, gave the commendation recently in an interview with journalists in Yenagoa.
According to him, though the ‘Prosperity Government’ headed by Diri is young, compared to past administrations, the approval for implementation of medical and health workers’ promotions was a sign that the government meant well for workers in the state.
Simon noted that even though the MHWUN bears the brunt of handling most of the health challenges in the rural communities, before the assumption of office of the present administration, the union members “were relegated to the background and we hope there are better days ahead.”
He enumerated problems facing them in the state prior to the coming into office of the Diri-led government to include “confusion as to whether the state’s local government service commission or the primary health care board should have control of the medical and health workers,” among others.
The MHWUN helmsman said that with the recent re-drafting of the control of medical and health staffers into the local government system, the union now knows exactly their position as to their remuneration and other sundry issues concerning them.
“We thank Governor Douye Diri for the approval of the implementation of our promotion. From 2015 to-date our promotions weren’t implemented, but Diri has just given the approval which is going well with all of us,” he said.
“Before now, we don’t even know whose duty it was to take charge of the primary health workers in the state.
“Whether it was the local government service commission or the primary health care board until Diri came and took us back to the local governments.
“The Prosperity governor came and has taken prosperity to the medical and health workers in the state. The governor said beginning from March ending, our promotions would start being implemented,” Simon said.
The MHWUN boss however called on government to grant autonomy to the state’s primary health care board, noting that its present status makes it lack the requisite powers to function effectively, as he implored union members to put in their best in performance and productivity to justify the confidence reposed in them by the present under the present administration.
