The leadership of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) has applauded Governor Hyacinth Alia for settling the outstanding payments owed its members to the tune of over N1.5billion.
The payment includes 21-month hazard allowances and 13-month promotion arrears owed to the health workers at the tertiary hospital.
This is even as JOHESU, through its State chairman, Benjamin Ioryem, also passed a vote of confidence on the Benue State governor as the sole candidate of the union come 2027 elections, for looking into their plights, which have spanned many years
Comrade Ioryem, at a press conference, disclosed that the union started pursuing the outstanding arrears in the days of the previous administration but it was tagged opposition health workers, adding that “any time we go on strike, the previous government will say, we are being sponsored by opposition parties.”
According to him, “when Governor Alia came on board, he visited us in the hospital which was already like a graveyard, we told him how health workers were going through hell and he asked us to put our challenges down in writing and bring it to his table which we did and a committee was constituted by the governor to make its findings about the issues we raised.
“As a listening governor, we told him our plights, this was in August 2024, and on the 24th December, we started receiving alerts ceaselessly, every health worker here is smiling, we are proud of the governor for his talk and do style.
“When we were treated badly by the previous administration, we told members of the press and now that this Reverend Gentleman is doing well to reposition the health sector for citizens to enjoy quality healthcare services, we will again make it known to the whole world, we cannot hide it.
“What e are saying here is that the governor has implemented our 25 per cent upward review of our salary structure as well as the upward review of our new hazard allowance from N5,000 to N30,000 and he also paid our promotion arrears of 13 months, the governor is worthy to be celebrated, we didn’t expect this,” he stated.
The chairman explained that JOHESU is a fusion of three unions that operates in the Nigerian Health Sector comprising the National Union of Allies Health Professionals (NUAHP), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), and Senior Staff Association of University Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associate Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI).
While commending Governor Alia for the choice of Stephen Hwande as BSUTH Chief Medical Director (CMD), the JOHESU chairman enumerated the achievements of the governor in repositioning the health sector to include the ongoing construction of Cancer Treatment Centre, construction of the 800,000-litre capacity water plant, and construction of pharmacology complex to ensure adequate supply of drugs and consumables,
Others were establishment of Mental Health and Psycho Social Rehabilitation Centre, establishment of Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, as well as the creation of a serene environment which itself is healing, among others.
