BY: NEWS EDITOR
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved a pay rise for medical doctors working within the state civil service.
The governor scaled up the pay to level up with federal government pay to medical personnel.
This was announced today by the governor while delivering an address at the 65th National Council on Health Meeting holding in Maiduguri with a theme 'Accelerating 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 agencies to level up the pay gaps.
He ordered that this be implemented from December 1, 2024.
'Link up with the relevant federal government agenc(ies) and ensure there is no disparity between salaries of the federal government workers and those working with the state government,' Zulum said.
'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 prioritized health infrastructure, increased access to maternal and child health services, and allocated resources for critical disease control programs,' the governor reiterated.
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 2030.
'The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is focused on revitalizing the health sector to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030 through prioritizing 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.