Otti Approves New Salary Scale for Abia Health Workers, Begins Recruitment of 771 Professionals
Governor Alex Otti of the State of Abia has approved a new wage structure for health workers in state public health establishments, marking an important step in the broader thrust of its administration to revise a long -term health system.
The new remuneration regime, known as the STATE STATE OF THE STATE OF ABIA (ASHWOSS), will come into force on May 1, 2025 and is compared to the federal salary structure for health professionals. It applies to doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, optometrists, radiographers and scientists of the medical laboratory working in hospitals and state health centers.
Announcing the development in a statement on Wednesday in Umuahia, the state commissioner of Abia, Professor Ogbonnaya Uche on Wednesday, said that this decision was aimed at treating decades of poor remuneration, wage disparities and the resulting exodus of the qualified personnel of the state health system.
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“With the effect of May 1, 2025, Abia health officers will begin to receive the same remuneration as their counterparts in federal health establishments,” said Uche. “This leads to an end of the years of agitation and dissatisfaction among the health professionals who had to work in difficult conditions with inadequate remuneration.”
A wider plan to revive public health
Ashwoss’ introduction is part of Governor Otti’s broader campaign to rebuild state -ruin health infrastructure, improve health care and restore public confidence in government -led hospitals.
Since its entry into office in 2023, Otti has made reform of the health sector one of the focal points of its administration. One of his first actions was to embark on the rehabilitation and equipment of general hospitals and primary health centers across the State – many of which had fallen into the previous administrations. Several installations, including the Amachara Specialist Hospital and the ABA General Hospital, have undergone a significant renovation, with others in Umuahia, Arochukwu and Isuikwuato at various renovation stages.
In addition to rebuilding physical infrastructure, the OTTI administration has prioritized staff well-being and professional development. Abia health workers have historically faced with arrears of prolonged wages, poor working conditions and the lack of essential medical tools – factors that have contributed to the lack of chronic staff and the negligence of patients in government health establishments.
771 health workers to recruit in all disciplines
As part of efforts to provide long -standing vacancies and to extend service capacity, the government has approved the recruitment of 771 new health workers in the public health system. According to Uche, recruitment covers a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, radiographers and laboratory scientists.
He said that the number was based on a recent evaluation of the needs carried out in various hospitals and health agencies.
“Governor Otti also approved the release of funds for the salaries of new recruits. The objective is to ensure that no establishment remains extremely below the staff,” said the commissioner.
To complete the general expansion of the workforce, the government also aims to recruit specialists and consultants in high demand medical fields where services are either nonexistent or extremely limited. These include laparoscopic and mini-invasive surgery, heart and neurosurgery, anesthesiology, transplant and robotics surgery, neonatology, oncology and interventional radiology.
The other specialties to be considered on a case -by -case basis include nephrology, cardiology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, orthopedics and neurology.
To attract and keep these specialists, Uche said that the Governor had ordered the Ministry of Health to negotiate a set of special emolument distinct from the general salary scale. The objective is to reverse brains leak which has left many state installations unable to handle complex or emergency medical cases.
Ashwoss’ approval follows the governor’s decision to allocate 15% of the state budget in 2025 to health, by corresponding to the ABUJA declaration objective that successive governments have not achieved. Funds, according to managers, are channeled in infrastructure, staff supply, equipment supply and capacity building.
“This administration does not provide lip services to the health reform. We approach the problems of the root – infrastructure, workforce, equipment and fair wages,” said Uche.
An inheritance of negligence and a chance of renewal
Under the previous administrations, in particular the immediate past led by Okezie Ikpeazu, the health sector of the state of Abia has become synonymous with decomposition. Health workers have often spent for months without salary, some due to 12 to 14 months in wages. The strikes have become common, while patients had no choice but to turn to private hospitals or to travel outside the state for treatment.
Otti expressed his commitment to reverse this trajectory. His administration began to clean the inherited wages and the arrears of pensions shortly after taking office, and with Ashwoss now in place, there are growing signs that his promise to prioritize health care could be more than just political rhetoric.
