Govt Won’t Promise Wages It Can’t Afford-Health Minister

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate has stated that the federal government will be deliberate in its resolve not to promise workers impossible wages it can’t afford.

Pate, who stated this in an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, said that it was pointless for the government to continue to make promises that it could not fulfill.

“In the context of the wage review that is ongoing in the country, of course with the Salary Incomes and Wages Commission, we have made submissions to have some adjustment of the remuneration of the health workforce.

“At the end of the day, it’s what the economy can afford. At the end of the day, you cannot give what you don’t have and so we have to be very deliberate not to promise things that are impossible to fulfill.

“Many of the legacy issues are 10 years old; promises that had been made and could not be achieved. So it’s pointless to keep making promises and setting yourself up when you cannot fulfill them,” he said.

The minister however, said that the government is committed to improving the welfare and wages of doctors, nurses and other health workers in the country.

“One thing for sure: this President is committed to the welfare of the Nigerian workforce and in our case in health sector, he is the champion for Health Resource in the African Union, and that says a lot about where his mind is in terms of the health workforce,” he said.

Pate added that the government is expanding the training of medical personnel in the country, and also improving their working conditions.

“We appreciate them. There are few who chose to go abroad for training. We’ve approved for some of them to go to other places to be trained. We expect that when they train, they will come back home,” he said.