The Abia Government has approved the implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for Local Government (LG) health workers in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Okey Kanu, made this known on Monday, while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.
Kanu said that this development formed part of the present administration’s ongoing reforms focused on enhancing the welfare and conditions of service of Abia civil servants.
He said that the move placed Abia among the few states in the federation paying the Federal Government’s CONHESS to local government health workers.
“As part of the ongoing reforms in the state’s civil service, the state government continues to prioritise workers’ welfare and conditions of service.
“To this end, therefore, the state Executive Council has approved the CONHESS Salary Scale for local government workers in the state,” he said.
The Commissioner also announced that significant progress had been made in the state’s healthcare revitalisation programme.
According to him, more than 52 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) were being renovated and equipped across the state.
“This brings the total number of functionalized PHCs to 102, while the remaining 98 PHCs will be fully renovated and equipped before the end of the year,” he said.
Kanu further disclosed that 50 out of the 79 World Bank Impact PHCs would also be completed before year-end.
He expressed optimism that “by the turn of the year, a total of 250 PHCs or more will have been fully renovated and equipped for use by Abians”.
Kanu noted that patronage at the rehabilitated facilities was increasing in line with government’s vision for accessible and affordable healthcare services in Abia.
On secondary health infrastructure, he said the construction of three specialist hospitals was ongoing, with recent reviews undertaken to upgrade facilities “to world-class standards in line with the aspirations of the government.”
The Commissioner said that Gov. Alex Otti had directed that the solar power project at the Sustainable Development Goals Hospital in Ugwunagbo, be made operational immediately.
“With this directive, the hospital staff and patients alike will experience 24/7 light going forward,” he said.
He added that the state was partnering with world-class hospitals in Sweden and other global health institutions on several outreach programmes scheduled between November 2025 and May 2026.
According to him, the first medical outreach involving the Ministry of Health and Pro-Health International will commence on November 16 and end on November 22nd.
“The second outreach, by the Abia Diaspora Medical Outreach Group, will hold between the Dec. 12 2025 and Dec. 19, 2026, at ABSUTH, Aba and the Abia Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia.”
He said the AMPA Abia Medical Outreach would take place in April 2026, while the Swedish Global Health Outreach would hold in May 2026.
“All these medical outreaches are being lined up to impact the health of our people here in Abia State,” he added.
The Commissioner also disclosed that there were no confirmed cases of diseases of public health importance in the state.
He announced that the state government had reopened its health worker recruitment portal, which had been shut down in August.
“Currently, vacancies exist for ophthalmologists, medical officers, dental officers, part-time and full-time consultants,” he said.
Kanu also urged interested candidates to apply through the state’s website.
On the power sector, he said the Light Up Abia Initiative was progressing steadily, with efforts ongoing to restore electricity in underserved communities.
Kanu said: “The Ohafia Power Restoration Project is in progress.
“The Ministry of Power and Public Utilities, in collaboration with the Greater Ohafia Development Authority (GODA), has completed the community sensitisation programme precedent to the restoration of light to Ohafia.”
He disclosed that a 300 kVA/0.35 kVA transformer substation was being restored, while survey work for the routing of a 33 kVA line from Ihechiowa to Asaga, Ohafia, covering a distance of 27.69 km, was ongoing.
“It is hoped that the restoration of light to Ohafia will be completed by the end of the year,” he added.
The Commissioner further said that the ministry was embarking on a major community lighting programme at the ward level to ensure that rural communities were illuminated during the Yuletide season.
He urged communities to cooperate with the Ministry of Lands during project-related land acquisitions, assuring that the administration would always act transparently.
“I want to put it on record that under this administration and under the watch of Gov. Alex Otti, Abians will never be short-changed in terms of land acquired for projects.
“Any land that this government acquires will be wholly put to use for the project for which it was acquired.
“This administration is known to pay handsome compensation for any land it acquires for projects where necessary, despite the fact that the Land Use Act of 1978 places the ownership of public lands in the hands of government,”Kanu said.
