…Mbah: Why we allocated 50% of Enugu’s budget to health and education in 3 years

The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has presented an Award of Distinguished Leadership and Outstanding Contributions to Healthcare Delivery to Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, describing him as a leader who has made “A real and measurable difference in the lives of health workers and the citizens of Enugu State.”

The award was presented to Governor Mbah by the National President of MHWUN on behalf of the Enugu State Council of MHWUN and union representatives at Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday evening.

The Union predicated the award on what it described as massive infrastructural transformation in the health sector, including the construction of 260 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres across the 260 political wards of the state, the nearly completed 300-bed ultramodern Enugu International Hospital, and the revamping of secondary healthcare facilities.

They also hailed the governor for extensive reforms in the health sector and the turnaround in the welfare of health workers in the state.

“In the area of health workers’ welfare, which is of direct and critical interest to our union, Your Excellency approved the full, 100 per cent, implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for medical and health workers, a long overdue step that has brought relief and dignity to our workers.

“Your government also approved a consequential adjustment for Enugu State workers, a gesture that has encouraged our members to be more productive and dedicated to their work.

“You recruited 2,500 health workers to address identified personnel deficits and have sustained training and capacity building programmes to sharpen the competencies of existing staff.

“Equally noteworthy is the prompt and consistent payment of salaries, an act that may seem routine in an ideal world, but which, in the Nigerian reality, represents exceptional governance and compassion,” the Union stated.

The workers commended Governor Mbah for strengthening immunisation programmes, expanding antenatal and family planning services for women, and introducing free daily balanced meals for 300,000 schoolchildren in the Smart Green Schools.

They noted that Mbah’s “uncommon transformation” in the health and education sectors has attracted the partnership of the World Health Organisation (WHO), both of whom have publicly commended his commitment to health sector reform and investments.

“These are not merely domestic accolades; they are global endorsements of your leadership,” the Union added.

The State Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of MHWUN, Dr Nnenna Oraedu, pledged the health workers’ continued partnership and cooperation with the Mbah administration in pursuit of a healthier, more prosperous Enugu State.

Speaking, Governor Mbah said his administration was well aware of the central place of a healthy population and workforce in his drive to grow Enugu State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.

Consequently, he said the administration had budgeted/spent over 50 per cent of the state’s total budget in three budgetary cycles on education and health.

“We looked at our maternal mortality, infant mortality and under-five mortality rates. We knew immediately that we needed to address the preventive medical subsector aggressively, which was why we constructed 260 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres across the 260 wards.

“Just this morning, we approved a sum of about N4 billion to equip an additional 100 primary healthcare centres. We are going to add an additional 100 to what is currently operational, taking the number to about 200 fully operational primary healthcare centres. We hope that before the end of May, the 260 Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres will be fully operational,” he stated.

He said that his administration was spending heavily on transforming the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Park Lane, the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences, the Colleges of Nursing, and the construction of the 300-bed Enugu International Hospital, because health is wealth.

“We are now attending to 54 general and cottage hospitals. We are upgrading some of the cottage hospitals to general hospitals,” he stated.

Mbah accepted the award with gratitude, dedicating it to his team, saying, “We are nothing without our team.”

“I want to, on behalf of my team, also assure you that this award will not make us rest on our laurels; it will rather spur us to work harder.”

Also, reacting to some of the major challenges listed by MHWUN Enugu State, Mbah donated an operational bus to the Union.