The Honorable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Murtala Muhammad Bagana, has assured doctors in Niger of his administration’s commitment to improving their well-being and boosting the morale of all cadres in the health sector in the state.
Dr. Bagana gave this assurance while receiving officials of the National Association of Government General and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), Niger State Chapter, on a courtesy visit to his office recently.
He pledged unwavering support for doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals, noting that incentive packages for staff were being discussed.
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The Commissioner also announced plans to reintroduce training and retraining programs for healthcare staff, as well as measures to restore the dignity of work in the sector.
On the issue of retirement age, he revealed that the Ministry had made significant progress and was engaging the House of Assembly Health Committee during the recent budget process to align state policy with national standards.
Addressing concerns over poor medical practices, Dr Bagana said the Ministry would strengthen regulation, revealing plans to establish a monitoring agency in 2026 to oversee public and private health facilities, with a view to curb quackery.
He also revealed plans to organize what he described as the largest medical campaign in Nigeria’s history to reach displaced people affected by insecurity and disasters.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Mohammed Gana, highlighted the need to develop strategies to retain doctors in the state, noting that the health labor market remains fragile due to the migration of medical professionals.
Similarly, his counterpart, Dr. Abdullahi Imam, commended the state government under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Umar Bago for the employment of nearly 2,000 health workers and revealed that 92 bonded medical students were close to completing their training and would return to serve the state after the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Earlier, the Chairman of NAGGMDP, Niger State Chapter, Dr. Mustapha Aliyu, said the visit of the association was to congratulate the commissioner on his appointment and present the major welfare concerns affecting doctors in the state.
He highlighted challenges such as delayed promotions, unpaid arrears, shortage of doctors and lack of incentives, and called for housing schemes, soft loans, subsidies for specialists, mentoring programs and alignment of retirement age with federal provisions.
Dr. Aliyu expressed optimism that with better welfare and incentives, doctor retention and service delivery in Niger State would improve significantly.