The Bauchi State Government has detected 2,116 ghost workers on its payroll, Gov. Bala Mohammed has said.

Mohammed disclosed this in Bauchi while declaring open First Health Conference organised by the state ministry of Health.

”As a state, we are putting our house in order by blocking leakages and administrative infractions in the system.

“In our effort to clean the state payroll, we recently removed 2,116 ghost workers from the state government payroll.

“Among them are 100 doctors and 120 Primary Healthcare staff working with NGOs within and outside the state who are collecting salaries from the state government even after they have officially exited from service,” he said,

The state government, he said, would continue to detect and purge ghost workers, in order to free resources for critical areas of need like the health sector.

”The state government is working to reform the health sector to reduce maternal and child care mortality below the national average.

In his remarks, Dr Osagie Ehanire, the Minister for Health, said that the health conference was timely and important .

He commended the state government for giving priority to the health sector. (NAN)