From Owen Akenzua, Asaba
Delta State government said over 200 absentee doctors and nurses under its payroll must refund their salaries.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojame made this known yesterday while briefing journalists on the efforts to sanitise the health sector under the current dispensation.
Onojame said human resources for health is a major challenge in the sector, as government had lost 50 percent of doctors and nurses to the ‘japa’ syndrome.
He noted that over 200 ghost workers were discovered in a recent exercise across health institutions, especially at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital in Oghara.
“When we carried out a thorough investigation, we found out that a lot of them have left, so we had to remove them from the payroll,” the commissioner said.
He also hinted that efforts have been made to sanitise the Department of Nursing which has been plagued by allegations of examination malpractice, admission racketeering and corruption.
