The Organised Health Sector Unions in Anambra State have appealed to Governor Charles Soludo to approve full implementation of the 100 per cent Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers, in order to avert a fresh round of industrial action.
Mr. Charles Nwoye, spokesperson for the union and Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) in Anambra, made the appeal while addressing journalists in Nnewi on Thursday.
He noted that the Federal Government approved the CONHESS scheme for health workers in 2010, and reviewed it in 2023. However, he lamented that health workers in Anambra have yet to fully benefit from the structure since its inception.
According to Nwoye, only the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), meant for medical and dental practitioners, has been fully implemented—leaving health professionals under CONHESS behind.
“Even recently, medical doctors received 100 per cent of their CONMESS, while ours remains at 50 per cent,” he said.
He recalled that following sustained agitation by the union two years ago, the state teaching hospital increased the implementation level for its health workers to 90 per cent of CONHESS.
“Since last year, we have written repeatedly to the current administration of Governor Soludo—an administration known for its commitment to development and concern for the people of Anambra,” Nwoye said.
He added that Soludo’s campaign vision of transforming Anambra into the ‘Dubai of Africa’ cannot be fully realised without prioritising the health sector.
Nwoye expressed appreciation to union members whose dedication and service have earned Anambra’s health sector recognition as one of the best in the country. He stressed that it is the productivity of health workers that validates the government’s policies in the sector.
“No matter how laudable government policies may be, without result-oriented workers, those policies will not translate into tangible progress,” he said.
