Otti Directs Harmonisation Of 2023, 2025 CONMESS For ABSUTH Implementation
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has directed the immediate harmonisation of the 2023 and 2025 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for implementation at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH).
Governor Otti gave the directive on Thursday, August 20, 2026, when he received a progress report from the ABSUTH Board and Management, led by its Chairman, Dr. Ezinne Kalu, during a working visit to the Governor’s Office.
The Governor said the directive was necessary to address outstanding issues surrounding the implementation of the salary structure and ensure that healthcare professionals in the state receive appropriate remuneration.
He expressed surprise that the 2023 CONMESS, which he had earlier approved, was not fully implemented before the Federal Government reviewed the structure in 2025.
According to him, the 2023 structure, if implemented as approved, would have placed Abia healthcare workers on a more favourable salary structure than their counterparts in the Federal service before the subsequent review.
Governor Otti therefore directed the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu, and the Chief Medical Director of ABSUTH, Prof. Nneka Okoronkwo, to work together to harmonise the two salary structures and present the financial implications and recommendations to government for appropriate action.
“The Permanent Secretary will have to sit down with you because if you say there is a 2025 adjustment and what I approved was 2023, which has not been implemented, that also means that you need to now sit down with her and let us know the total cost of that adjustment,” he said.
Governor Otti reiterated his administration’s commitment to improving the health sector, noting that the state consistently allocates 15 per cent of its annual budget to healthcare.
He said the investment was not driven by profit but by the need to provide Abians with affordable, accessible and quality healthcare, stressing that the welfare and working conditions of healthcare professionals must equally receive adequate attention.
The Governor reaffirmed his administration’s determination to reposition ABSUTH as a world-class tertiary healthcare institution, noting that the first phase of the ongoing upgrade focused on restoring accreditations that had been lost for more than two years before the present administration assumed office.
He also disclosed that some ABSUTH facilities previously concessioned to private entities by the previous administration had been recovered following engagements and settlements with the affected parties and subsequently returned to the management of the teaching hospital.
On manpower, Governor Otti advised the hospital management to adopt a gradual recruitment strategy, with priority given to core medical personnel and other critical professionals.
He disclosed that he had approved the recruitment of 861 healthcare workers for other levels of healthcare in the state, excluding ABSUTH, adding that 670 had already been recruited within the last six months while the exercise remained ongoing.
The Governor stressed the need for a competitive welfare package for healthcare workers, warning that the state risked losing qualified personnel to jurisdictions offering better working conditions if appropriate incentives were not provided.
On the hospital’s request for a stable power supply, Governor Otti directed the Commissioner for Power to engage ABSUTH management and work out a sustainable electricity supply arrangement for the institution.
He said the availability of Geometric Power should make the provision of electricity to the teaching hospital more manageable, given the critical nature of its services.
The Governor further disclosed that the Niger Delta Power Holding Company had indicated its willingness to work with Geometric Power on an alternative gas supply solution, following his engagement with relevant stakeholders.
On the Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine donated to ABSUTH by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and valued at more than $1 million, Governor Otti said efforts were underway to provide a suitable facility for its installation and operation.
“We are working round the clock to get accommodation for it. You may also have seen that a lot of other works are going on in the Teaching Hospital and we will not stop,” he said.
Governor Otti commended the ABSUTH Board for presenting a detailed, data-driven report highlighting the institution’s progress, outstanding challenges and the financial implications of its recommendations.
He said such reports would enable government to make informed decisions and assured the Board and Management of continued support for the transformation of ABSUTH.
Earlier, the Board Chairman, Dr. Ezinne Kalu, presented the report titled, “Stabilizing Today: Building the Teaching Hospital Abia Deserves.”
She said the report was built around three key areas: appreciation, evidence and decision-making.
Kalu thanked Governor Otti for giving the Board the opportunity to serve and said its findings showed that the government had succeeded in rebuilding public confidence in ABSUTH.
She said the institution had moved from the stage of “institutional rescue” to the next phase of “operational consolidation.”
The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Nneka Okoronkwo, also thanked the Governor for his intervention in resolving the crisis involving House Officers, Resident Doctors and other interns employed by the hospital in April.
She listed other approvals granted by the Governor to include the payment of salaries owed to interns, settlement of the salaries of three ABSUTH staff who had been owed for two years, payment of the MDCAN shortfall arising from the centralisation of payment and approval for staff due for promotion.
In his vote of thanks, the Deputy Board Chairman and Provost of the College of Medicine, Prof. Chuks Kamanu, commended Governor Otti for granting the requests contained in the Board’s report.
Kamanu disclosed that ABSUTH had, for the first time in 16 years, operated without a strike since Governor Otti assumed office three years ago.
He also said the hospital was currently recording 100 per cent bed occupancy, with each doctor attending to an average of 100 patients weekly.
Kamanu expressed support for Governor Otti’s re-election in 2027, saying his continued leadership would be in the best interest of the institution.
The Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, also joined the Governor in receiving the ABSUTH Board.
