Less than two days to the commencement of a planned strike action by Health workers in Anambra State over the government’s alleged insensitivity to their plights, the State Government insists it has done well for the state health sector.
Nurses, midwives, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, and other allied professionals are demanding the full implementation of the 100% CONHESS salary structure across state and local government systems, the implementation of the reviewed CONHESS table with a 25% upward adjustment, and the payment of Rural Posting Allowances for staff serving in remote areas.
The workers are also asking for improved call duty, shift allowances, and hazard allowances that reflect the risks of their work, establishment of internship programmes for fresh graduates of Nursing Science and other health professions, conduct of overdue promotions in the Health Management Board (HMB) and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), with arrears settled, and recruitment of additional health professionals to fill critical manpower gaps.
“On 6th January 2025, the first 15-day ultimatum given to the government expired. Instead of action, the unions were invited to dialogue with the Commissioner for Health. Promises were made that the resolutions would be transmitted to the governor for approval. But days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. For over seven months, there was no response, just silence.
“By July 2025, frustration reached a boiling point. The workers issued a second ultimatum, effective from August 1st to August 15th. Again, the Commissioner convened a meeting, but the outcome was described as shallow and unconvincing. At the expanded State Executive Council meeting, members rejected the proposals outright, viewing them as an insult to their profession.
“On 20th August 2025, a third ultimatum was issued, giving the government until 3rd September to respond. Yet, once more, there was silence. With the deadline now drawing near, workers argue they have been left with no option but to proceed with industrial action,” a union leader said.
The workers are insisting that by 4th September 2025, if nothing changes, the strike will begin.
But, when The News Chronicle correspondent spoke with the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, he pointed out that the Chukwuma Soludo administration is fully committed to strengthening the health sector and ensuring the well-being of health workers.
He said, contrary to claims of neglect, the present administration has, within the last two years, constructed and equipped five brand-new general hospitals and an ultra-modern Trauma Centre, recruited and deployed thousands of new health professionals across state-owned health facilities, and introduced Telemedicine to bridge manpower gaps.
Recalling that the last recruitment of Health workers in Anambra was done 10 years ago, Obidike noted that in a few weeks to come, another batch of about 500 health workers will be shortlisted and deployed to various government-owned health facilities.
“So, during the State Executive Council meeting held on 18th day of August,2025, the Governor approved the implementation of the Enhanced Entry Point for Nursing Officer Cadre, meaning that the entry grade level for Nursing Officers into the State Civil Service will be grade level 10 and it is a great relief for Nursing Officers who have been agitating for this implementation for almost 20years.
“The governor has embarked on unprecedented investments in health infrastructure, upgrading facilities and expanding access to healthcare for citizens in rural and urban areas alike.
“He implemented welfare-enhancing measures, including training, capacity development, and deliberate plans to harmonize salaries in line with prevailing economic realities and sustainable state resources.
“The government is not insensitive to the genuine concerns of health workers.
“So, it is misleading to suggest that the state has abandoned them to poverty or that their situation is worse than in neighbouring states,” the Commissioner said.
Acknowledging the right of the workers to demand a better welfare package, Obidike said the government is working out a more pragmatic package that will benefit the workers better and advance health service across the state.
The Commissioner revealed plans by the state government to introduce Performance-Based incentives for health workers in the state, which means that, in addition to their official salary, they will receive extra money based on their performance.
“We are designing to do a special salary scale, known as the Performance-Based financing, as is done in Rwanda. This will enable health workers to earn as much as any other worker in the country. It will also increase the quality of service in our healthcare facilities. It has been tested in Rwanda and it proved to be effective and we want to replicate it here.
“The initiative was introduced in Rwanda in 2011. The Rwandan health sector and the partners found out that even with bonus salary supplement, the health service indices were not showing any positive signs.
They now deployed the Performance-Based incentive initiative in three cities and the result showed before they deployed it to across the entire health sector. Today, their health sector is one of the best.
“So, we are developing the model and devising how we can operate it here in alignment with our peculiarities here,” he said.
Obidike urged health workers and their unions to adopt constructive engagement rather than strike actions, which would only harm innocent patients and undermine the very goals the state shares.
He maintained that the government remains open to dialogue and is confident that, through collaboration, lasting solutions can be achieved.
