The Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, on Thursday directed the suspension of salaries of 135 staff members of the Primary Health Care Development Agency for absence from work.
Yahaya disclosed his decision after receiving the report of the committee on the agency’s staff verification exercise.
The committee, headed by the state Head of Service, Alhaji Bappayo Yahaya, was mandated to ascertain the number of staff on the payroll of the PHCDA, as well as determine the gap in human resources to enable the state government to plan for staff recruitment, training, welfare and resource allocation for improved health care services.
Yahaya said, “About 4,304 primary health care staff members were verified across the state, out of which 135 personnel were found to be absent.
“Having studied the report, I hereby direct immediate suspension of the salaries of all the PHC staff who failed to physically appear before the verification committee.
“All PHC staff with non-relevant qualifications be transferred out of the agency and payroll to other departments, where their qualifications are needed within their respective Local Government Areas.”
Meanwhile, the state Ministry of Health has disclosed that about 20 medical doctors on government’s payroll were not at their duty posts for years.
The ministry said while the salaries of the said absentee medical doctors had so far been suspended, a panel would be set up to investigate the matter with a view to probing the root and those found wanting would be prosecuted and the salaries recovered.