Nasarawa State Government has decried attacks on healthcare workers in the State by individuals especially patients relations, saying it would deal be decisive on anyone caught to have carried out such act.
The State Head of Civil Service, Abigail N Waya stated this when a delegation of Coalition of Health Workers from Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital ( DASH) Lafia led by its Chairman Comrade Luka Dauda Ogu paid her a courtesy visit in her office recently.
Speaking, the Head of Service said it was worrisome the way health workers especially at DASH oftentimes malhandled by patients or their relations and that such was a huge challenge to the State government’s effort aimed at providing quality health care to the people, stressing that if not halted it could lead to the exodus of qualified health personnel from the sector.
The Head of Service said drastic measures will henceforth against those engaged in such unholy to serve as deterrent in future.
She said Government would address all the issues raised by the Union would be addressed to avoid repeat of such act.
Earlier Chairman Coalition of Health Workers DASH, Comrade Luka Dauda Ogu expressed satisfaction on how the HOS has has managed the affairs of the civil service since assumption of office particularly the attention accorded to issues relating to government/labour relationship.
He said despite the economic downturn, the State Government has sustained the prompt payment of salaries to civil servants in the state transformed civil and the introduction of pre-retirement training programme and other sundry welfare packages put forth so far.
Comrade Ogu used the opportunity to appeal for a review of the current hazard allowances paid to health workers in the State with a view to increasing it.
He informed the Head of Civil Service that the latest to suffer attack in the hospital is a Medical Doctor and Pharmacist who were are recently assaulted at the hospital and asked that the matter be addressed to reassure the health workers that they are secured.