RSG To Engage Retired Consultants

As part of measures to improve health care delivery in the state, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has hinted of plans by the State Government to engage the services of retired medical doctors under contract basis.
Wike gave the hint when he received executives of the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) led by Dr. Furo Green in Government House, Port Harcourt.
He observed that rather than extending the retirement age to 65 years as requested by the NMA, government would  extend the period of their services under a contract retainership
The governor said, “I think we can look at how we can extend the services of the consultants through contract in order to reduce manpower problems in the sector.”
The response of the governor came as Chairman of NMA, Dr Furo Green requested that retirement age of medical doctors be extended to 65 years, but Wike said that would amount to amending the law to suit medical doctors only and would not be generally accepted.
While acknowledging the pressing need to engage more medical personnel, the governor hinted that the state government would assist in training younger medical doctors to upgrade their knowledge.
Meanwhile, Wike has approved the upgrading of the Orthopaedic Section in the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) in Port Harcourt and the reconstruction of the burnt staff quarters in the hospital.
He added that the proposed Trauma and Cardiac Centre in the former University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital Complex will still be sustained but that the administration plans to expand facilities to serve as teaching hospital for the new Medical School in the State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.
The governor while correcting the erroneous view that the RSUST Medical School has been moved to a new site, explained that the BMSH and Trauma Centre will only serve as training centres for the medical school, while the school is sited on the main campus of the university.
On their part, the NMA pleaded with the governor to establish an efficient Health Financial System that will replace the moribund free medical health care.
The Chairman of the NMA decried low medical manpower in the state, submitting that the state owned BMSH is big enough for residency and Medical School, as he called for the upgrading of the Medical Surgery and Paediatrics Department in the hospital.