Strike: Kwara sets 2-week technical window to review health workers’ demands

A committee set up by the Kwara State Government to address the demands of health workers in the state on Tuesday held its inaugural meeting and opened a two-week technical review window aimed at harmonising recommendations and preventing industrial action.

The meeting brought together representatives from the Office of the Head of Service, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant General, and the Kwara State Health Insurance Agency.

Deliberations focused on salary adjustments, professional allowances, and establishment-related issues affecting doctors, nurses, resident doctors, and medical laboratory scientists across the state health sector.

The committee is tasked with reviewing demands submitted by various professional cadres, separating financial issues from establishment matters, and developing sustainable recommendations for government consideration.

Among the key demands discussed was the implementation of the corrected Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), with a proposed 25 to 35 per cent salary increase for medical and dental officers, consultants, and other health professionals.

Stakeholders also raised concerns over the domestication and payment of relevant allowances, among other welfare-related issues.

Medical laboratory scientists also called for the creation of a Directorate or Department of Medical Laboratory Science within the Ministry of Health and the Hospital Management Board, alongside improved entry points and inclusion in on-call duty allowances.

At the end of the meeting, the committee agreed to break subsequent engagements into technical sessions to speed up the review process and ensure the welfare concerns of health workers are properly addressed.

The Office of the Head of Service was directed to coordinate technical teams to examine salary and allowance proposals, including the 25 to 35 per cent corrected salary adjustment, backdating options, and residency training fund modalities, and to produce workable financial recommendations within two weeks.

It was also mandated to develop proposals on establishment issues, including entry point adjustments, creation of a Medical Laboratory Science Directorate, and recruitment of remaining house officers.

The committee is expected to reconvene after the technical sessions to harmonise recommendations before submitting a final report to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for approval.