Abia State Governor Alex Chioma Otti has ordered the immediate harmonisation of the 2023 and 2025 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for medical staff at Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, Abia State, on Thursday, August 20, 2026, following a progress report from the hospital’s board and management.

Otti issued the directive during a working visit by the ABSUTH leadership to the Governor’s Office, where Board Chairman Dr Ezinne Chinyere Benjamin-Kalu presented a report on the institution’s operations, staff welfare and outstanding challenges.

Also read: TETFund investment offers fresh hope for north central

The governor said improving the welfare and working conditions of healthcare professionals remained central to his administration’s efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery across Abia.

“The huge investment my administration is making in the health sector, including the consistent allocation of 15 per cent of the state’s annual budget to healthcare, is driven by my desire to provide affordable and quality healthcare to Abians, not to make profit,” Otti said.

The decision comes against the backdrop of a prolonged dispute over the implementation of medical workers’ salary structures in Abia.

In March 2025, the Nigerian Medical Association’s Abia branch said doctors employed by the state were still being paid under the 2009 CONMESS structure, while the 2023 adjusted structure had already been adopted in several other states.

The association had warned that the salary disparity could contribute to the migration of doctors from the state and had urged the government to implement the revised structure.

Otti’s latest directive seeks to address the gap by asking the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeyinwa Blossom Uma-Kalu, and the Chief Medical Director of ABSUTH, Prof Nneka Chioma Okoronkwo, to jointly review the two salary structures and submit recommendations for implementation.

The governor said he was surprised that the 2023 structure he had previously approved was not fully implemented before the 2025 review took effect.

“When the request came, my understanding is that it was going to be better than the Federal.

Before I approved it, I asked a question about total cost of employment so that I could cross-check with my budget.

So, when I looked at it, I found that we could accommodate it, and I approved it,” Otti said.

He added, “Going back to what you have is strange; let us make this job easier for ourselves.”

The intervention is part of a broader attempt by the Otti administration to reposition ABSUTH after years of institutional and infrastructure challenges.

The hospital’s own records describe the current period as one of transformation and restoration since Otti assumed office in May 2023.

One of the administration’s early priorities was restoring accreditation that had been lost for several years.

In December 2023, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria restored ABSUTH’s accreditation to graduate medical students, while also increasing its admission quota from 120 to 150 students per session.

The governor also said some ABSUTH facilities that had previously been concessioned to private entities by the former administration had been recovered following negotiations and settlements.

“The facilities have now been returned to the management of the Teaching Hospital,” Otti said.

Staff welfare has remained an important part of the hospital’s current reform agenda.

According to the report presented to the governor, approvals have also been granted for the payment of salaries owed to interns, the settlement of salary arrears for three ABSUTH employees who had reportedly gone unpaid for two years, payment of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria shortfall arising from centralised salary payments, and the processing of promotions for eligible staff.

The renewed attention to remuneration also fits with Otti’s earlier position that healthcare workers must be adequately supported if the state is to retain skilled professionals.

In a previous account of his administration’s health-sector programme, Otti said doctors and other healthcare personnel were central to achieving better delivery outcomes and that his government had committed to prompt and regular payment of salaries.

ABSUTH’s current management structure includes Dr Ezinne Chinyere Benjamin-Kalu as Board Chairman and Prof Nneka Chioma Okoronkwo as Chief Medical Director.

The hospital’s official records also identify Dr Ifeyinwa Blossom Uma-Kalu as Permanent Secretary of the Abia State Ministry of Health.

For ABSUTH, the salary decision comes at a significant point in its rebuilding process.

Beyond infrastructure and accreditation, the effectiveness of a teaching hospital depends heavily on its ability to attract, retain and motivate doctors, consultants, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

The latest CONMESS harmonisation therefore carries implications beyond payroll. If implemented effectively, it could strengthen staff morale while supporting the wider goal of making ABSUTH a more stable centre for medical training, specialist care and research.

Otti has consequently asked the relevant health officials to complete the harmonisation process and return with recommendations, placing the next stage of implementation in the hands of the Ministry of Health and ABSUTH management.

Also read: TETFund investment offers fresh hope for north central

The move offers a potentially important boost for medical workers at the teaching hospital, but its lasting impact will ultimately depend on how quickly the approved framework is translated into actual payments and improved working conditions.