From: Ali Abare, Gombe
The Gombe State Government has waived the three years training period for nurses and midwives working in state-owned health facilities retiring before attaining the age of 60.
Head of Civil Service Gombe State, Dr Daniel Musa, told the journalists, in Gombe, on Thursday, that following the shortage of manpower in the health sector, the state government was prompted to implement the policy.
“Initially when a nurse or midwife was admitted in school, the three years he or she will spend before graduation, were included in their 35 years of service,” he said.
According to him, the number of nurses and midwives retiring, annually, outnumbered those gaining admission in to school of Nursing and Midwifery.
“There is a serious deficit in terms of personnel, the only way one can reduce the deficit is by introducing the training waiver,” he said.
Daniel said, the waiver will go a long way in reducing the cost, because government was spending huge sums of money in terms of re-engaging personnel who retired.
“This is because when a nurse or midwife retires at Grade level 14, she or he, will be collecting pension and if the government re-engages such a person, he or she, will be collecting a full salary of level 13 which is additional cost to government, “ he said.
“But with the current development, if a nurse or midwife is about to retire, based on compulsory 35 years of service and he or she has not reached 60 years, the state government has waived the three years training spent in school,” he explained.
