The Abia State Government has approved the implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for local government workers in the state.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, during a press briefing at Government House Umuahia on Monday after the weekly excos meeting.
According to Prince Kanu, the approval is part of the ongoing reforms in the state civil service, aimed at prioritising workers’ welfare and improving their conditions of service.
“The state government continues to prioritise workers’ welfare and conditions of service of its workforce.
“This commendable move makes Abia State one of the few states in the country that pays the federal government Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS),” Prince Kanu stated.
The Commissioner also highlighted the state government’s commitment to improving the healthcare sector.
“We are making progress in our healthcare initiatives. The functionalisation of 52 renovated and equipped Primary Health Care (PHC) centres is ongoing, with 102 already functionalised.
“The remaining 98 PHCs are expected to be fully renovated and equipped before the end of the year,” he said.
On the medical outreaches, Kanu announced that the state government is collaborating with world-class hospitals in Sweden and other global health institutions on several medical outreach programmes.
“Some of the outreach programmes are as follows: the first is the one involving the Ministry and ProHealth International, which will commence on November 16th and end on November 22nd.
“The second outreach involves the Abia Diaspora Medical Outreach Group and will be held between December 12th and 19th, 2025.
“The third one is the AMPA Abia Medical Outreach, which will be held in April 2026.
“The last but not the least is the one involving Abia State and the Swedish Global Health Outreach, which will be held in May 2026,” he disclosed.
The state government has also reopened the recruitment portal for health workers, with vacancies available for ophthalmologists, medical officers, dental officers, and part-time and full-time consultants.
“The recruitment portal for health workers has been reopened, and we are expecting a high turnout of qualified candidates,” Kanu said.
Meanwhile, the construction of three specialist hospitals is ongoing, and the state government has directed that the solar power project at the SDG Hospital in Ugwunagbo be operationalized immediately.
“Governor Alex Otti has directed that the solar power project at the SDG Hospital located in Ugwunagbo be operationalized immediately within the week. With this directive, the hospital staff and patients alike would experience 24/7 light going forward,” Kanu stated.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, commended the Governor for approving the CONHESS.
“If this is anything to boost the morale of workers, His Excellency has done it. The CONHESS has now removed any dichotomy in the healthcare sector,” Uche said.
Prof. Uche also disclosed that about 500 nurses are undergoing documentation as part of the ongoing recruitment process.
“We needed to confirm the exact number of health workers in the LGAs before granting approval for the CONHESS.
“We are confident that this move will improve the morale of our workers and ultimately lead to better healthcare delivery,” Uche stated.
The Abia State Government has assured its citizens that it will continue to prioritize the welfare of its workers and improve the healthcare sector.
With these developments, the state is poised to become a model for other states in Nigeria in terms of healthcare delivery and workers’ welfare.
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