Buni Approves Employment Of 158 Community Nurses In Yobe

Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe has approved the employment of 158 community nursing graduates of the Shehu Sule College of Nursing and Midwifery, Damaturu. This is contained in a statement by Buni’s Director-General Press and Media Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Mohammed, in Damaturu on Saturday. According to Mohammed, the nurses comprised of two sets of the college’s graduates. He said the governor had also approved the payment of N10,000 monthly allowances to 393 students of the state origin undergoing National Diploma and Basic Midwifery programmes at the college. The spokesman said 67 of the benefitting students were entitled to 11 months arrears of the allowance, while 326 new students of the college would soon start receiving the allowance. “Governor Buni urged the newly employed health personnel to be dedicated to serve the people better. “He charged them to key into the reform programme of the state government to provide efficient, accessible and affordable medical services to the people. “The Governor also called on the students to study hard to justify the government’s investment in them,” Mohammed said.

Resident doctors end nationwide strike

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has taken the decision to suspend its nationwide strike, with medical professionals scheduled to resume their duties starting Saturday. This development was officially confirmed by the association’s National President, Innocent Orji, on Friday evening. In a concise message scooped from Channels Television by NIGERIAN ANCHOR, Orji stated, “Good evening. We just suspended the strike. Work to resume 8 am tomorrow. We will review the progress made in two weeks.” This action comes shortly after the doctors had called off their planned nationwide protest, which was intended to underscore their various demands. Among the primary objectives pursued by NARD is the request for an expanded workforce to fill the vacancies left by doctors who have either migrated or passed away. Orji emphasized the consequences of inadequate staffing in healthcare institutions, stating, “Our members are suffering. Nigerians are suffering too. When you don’t have the right number of doctors in the hospital, there is no way it is not going to affect the healthcare service delivery system. And nobody has come out to tell us that what we are saying is not true.” Regarding previously established guidelines from the government, Orji expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of implementation: “The government on its own set up a ministerial committee that came up with a guideline since February this year, why hasn’t that guideline been circularised?” He criticized the government for not meeting the doctors’ demands and raised questions about the government’s response to their concerns. Earlier, the union’s leadership engaged in discussions with senators, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio. NARD had initiated a “total and indefinite strike action” on July 25, 2023, in pursuit of various demands, including improved wages for doctors.

Gov Inuwa inaugurates Jennifer Etuh Medical Centre in Gombe

Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya, on Monday inaugurated the Jennifer Etuh Medical Centre in Tula. The hospital was constructed in Tula village in Kaltungo Local Government Area of the State by a charity organisation known as ‘Jennifer Etuh Foundation. The Chairman of the foundation, Mr. Thomas Etuh, said the facility was constructed by the foundation to give the people of the village access to healthcare services. He noted that the foundation was established in 2020 in memory of his late wife, Jennifer Etuh, adding that her vision is to provide available, accessible, and affordable world-class healthcare services to women and children. According to him, this informed their decision to build and donate the medical centre to the village that is a hard-to-reach area. Etih said the foundation had constructed similar medical centres in Odu, Kogi, for the North Central; in Kagoro, Kaduna State, for the Northwest, and another at Ifewara, Osun State, for the Southwest, respectively. He stated that the foundation had equally built skills acquisition centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country and offered free medical outreaches. “We are deeply indebted to God for his countless mercies and favours in our lives. My darling wife will have been celebrating her 49th birthday today. But God knows best. Nevertheless, we are here to commemorate her legacy. “Before her passing, she gave very explicit and precise instructions of this vision, which over the past two years have continuously become a reality,” the chairman said. In his goodwill message, Alhaji Abubakar Atare, the Paramount ruler of Tula, said the ultra-modern health centre has been longed for by the community. Atare said the facility would serve the community and its environs. ”This health facility is the only one of its kind in the North East sub-region and the people of Tula will remain indebted to your show of love,” he said. He said the facility would go a long way in improving the health of the people of the community and beyond. Yahaya commended the foundation for the gesture, adding that it will complement the efforts of the state government in delivering healthcare services. The governor called on wealthy individuals and organisations to emulate the foundation to make life better for the teeming population. The foundation has organised five days of medical outreach as well as empowered over 1,000 widows with wrappers, toiletries, and N1,000 cash gifts each.