Health workers have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to include the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) in the 2022 budget before passage.

According to them, N80 billion has been captured in the 2022 budget to cover the new salary structure.

They warned that any attempt to divert the money by the Federal Ministry of Health will be resisted.

The health workers include members of the National Leadership of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA).

JOHESU Chairman, Biobelemoye Josiah, spoke on Kakaaki, a breakfast Programme on Africa Independent Television on Monday and monitored by our correspondent.

He warned that the unions would not guarantee industrial harmony in the health sector if the President fails to include the adjusted salary structure.

A seven-man committee set up by the health ministry recommended an adjustment to the salaries of health workers.

“We are expecting that Mr President will do us well because as a union we have yielded to his request that we should keep the health sector strike free for the period. We have done our part. We expect that no matter the games that the Federal Ministry of Health is playing by trying to deny us our own right, the President has the power to direct that the committee’s job should be included in the budget before he signs it.

“I want to use this opportunity to call on Nigerians to plead on our behalf because we have been very patient, we have been very patriotic and we will not want a situation where all the effort we have put to ensure that there is peace in the health sector will waste.

“If it is not put into the budget, the health sector will not be as peaceful as we have tried to keep it. If they don’t put the adjusted CONHESS into the budget then they should be ready for us,” the JOHESU chairman said.

Josiah said the unions were aware that there is a provision of N80 billion set aside to take care of the salary adjustment for health workers.

To him, it will be wrong for the Federal Ministry of Health to “divert” the funds for other purposes.

“At the peak of our agitation, the office of the Chief of Staff to the President also intervened. We are aware that there was a provision of N80 billion made to take care of adjustment of salaries.

“It is our strong belief that even if they have not specifically stated that this amount is for CONHESS adjustment, I think there is a provision made already,” he said

(The Nation)

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