The Bauchi State Government has discovered over 100 ghost workers in its health sector and has promised to punish those involved according to civil service rules.
The Executive Chairperson of the Bauchi State Hospital Management Board, Sambo Alkali, made this known during a press conference in Bauchi on Thursday.
He said the names of all the ghost workers would be forwarded to Governor Bala Mohammed for necessary action.
“We are currently carrying out a verification exercise to uncover ghost workers people have been complaining about,” Alkali explained.
“Recently, we did the exercise in five of our health facilities and discovered more than 100 ghost workers. Their names will soon be submitted to the governor.”
Speaking on efforts to address the shortage of doctors, Alkali said Governor Mohammed had approved a special scheme that was already producing good results.
He said the state currently engages more than 40 doctors under the scheme, ranging from consultants to medical officers. These doctors, he added, were carefully selected and assigned to facilities based on available data.
The scheme, he explained, allows professionals to provide services while also supervising facilities, ensuring that gaps in healthcare delivery are filled.
According to Alkali, the governor also directed the state health committee to develop a healthcare scheme of service to tackle salary issues and make Bauchi attractive to medical professionals.
He said part of the plan is to align the salaries of Bauchi health workers with those of their federal counterparts.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Muhammed Dambam, said the governor had renewed his commitment to work with partners to set up Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) facilities in the state.
