Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has approved a hundred percent increment for the Consolidate Medical Salaries Structures (CONMESS) for all medical doctors serving under the government with immediate effect.
Linda Ayade, the first lady of the state who herself is a medical doctor disclosed this on Thursday in her office while briefing a team of the Nigerian Medical Association and Consultant across the 18 Local Government Area.
Ayade said this became necessary because of the exodus of medical doctors from the state employees who prefer working with the federal government and other international agencies due to poor remuneration.
According to her, “We have not been able to keep doctors under state employment because doctors earn less as compared to their counterparts in the federal civil service and other parts of the world.”
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She said the development had posed a huge challenge to the health sector in the state.
Also speaking, Better Edu, the state commissioner for health commended Governor Ben Ayade for his intervention in the health sector
“The governor has a listening ear because you see a situation where you employ doctors who leave the state daily for other paid jobs,” she lamented.
The director-general of the State primary health development agency Janet Ekpeyong also commended the NMA and other stakeholders for making the dream a reality.
She said with this development, medical doctors will now start enjoying the same salaries as their counterparts at the Federal level.
Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA Innocent Abang said before now, doctors in the State were enjoying a 70 percent CONMESS in the state.
